Though The Flame Lies Dormant
by taleros
Summary: Kuroko hasn't seen Mikoto for the past 5 months in order to distance herself from the electromaster. But what happens when the older girl once again enters her life? Also, Judgement members are being targeted, but for what purpose? For who? The answers lie within the depths of Hell, and Kuroko and Mikoto have descended into the flames...the girls are 18 and 19 btw. [MikoKuro]
1. Neither Distance nor Time

Hey there! So it's been some time since the last fanfiction that I wrote. Though you probably don't know who I am unless you were extremely into the Ed/Winry pairing of Fullmetal Alchemist back in like 2006. That was really the only stories I wrote back in the day. But so recently I've really gotten into the side story of Index, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. So I don't know everything about everything in the universe of Index and I apologize in advance if you see any inconsistencies here in the story (that being said, if you see them, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know!)

But yeah, so I never thought I'd be writing a story for a girl/girl pairing, but it seems that I've gotten on board for Mikoto/Kuroko and I now feel a strong obligation towards writing a story about them. Not sure why I love these two together so much….maybe it's their chemistry..…

So quick note: Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten are 18, and Mikoto is 19. Ah, older huh? Well yup! So here goes! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! And please! Review! Review! Review! I do have a heavy work schedule, but knowing that someone likes the story so far would definitely get me to update as soon as possible! Thanks in advance! Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 1: Neither Distance nor Time

_December 2__nd_

_Members of Judgement were given a particularly interesting, yet not uncommon briefing that morning._

"Uiharu, have you seen any movement on the security cameras?" Kuroko asked as she sprinted through the alleys of the 7th district. She was wearing a gray skirt, a white short-sleeve dress shirt, similar to her old Tokiwadai uniform, and a black jacket. Her hair also flew freely in the wind, no longer being tied into pigtails.

"_No Shirai-san, I haven't seen anyone leave the area yet, so they should still be there."_

Kuroko stopped running for a moment to reassess the situation.

_I know we got a call about someone being kidnapped and taken into this area of the district, but I've been running around for about ten minutes and I still can't find them. Where the hell—_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a girl's scream coming from one the nearby buildings. Kuroko's eyes widened as she quickly teleported to the source of the deafening sound. Upon arriving at the scene, she noticed an unconscious girl with her hands in shackles that were suspended from the wall. Blood trickled from her forehead, and she was badly bruised around her arms and legs. The girl's loosely hung Judgement armband was also smeared with crimson.

"_It seems that these recent attacks on Judgement officers were deliberate. We are not sure if these assailants are after something in particular, or if they simply have a grudge against us. But no matter the case, you must be more alert, and extra cautious while wearing your armband. There's no telling who will be the next target."_

Kuroko quickly teleported the girl out of her bounds and tried to wake her wounded colleague. It took some time before the girl slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Kuroko. When she realized who her savior was, her eyes widened as she gripped onto Kuroko's shoulders.

"You…you have to…get out of…here," she managed to choke out between violent coughs.

"Try not to talk right now," Kuroko replied to her, though she was weary of the girl's warning. She also came upon another realization.

_Wait a minute, where did the source of the scream come from? This girl was unconscious, _she thought to herself.

The source of the scream so happened to be behind her. It was another girl, probably around the age of sixteen. She wore dark clothes and a hood draped over her head. She was staring at a picture in her hand when she noticed the entrance of Kuroko.

"_We will continue to investigate this matter to see if there is actually a specific goal that they have in mind."_

"It's not safe…it's a trap…they want…you," the member of Judgement said before once again falling unconscious. Kuroko narrowed her eyes as she heard footsteps approaching her. She immediately gritted her teeth, stood up, and turned in order to see her assailant.

She motioned her familiar tug at her Judgement shield and announced, "I am—"

"—Shirai Kuroko of Judgement," the other girl finished with a smirk. "I know exactly who you are."

Kuroko bit her lip and took in the other girl's appearance. She couldn't make out too much because of her discreet clothing, but she did notice black hair stemming from underneath the hood.

"You sound awfully confident," Kuroko retorted. "Though, my reputation isn't exactly pleasant for people like you." With that said, Kuroko instantly teleported behind her opponent and reached for the black straps along her thighs. Just as she touched the tip of one of her metal spikes, her opponent disappeared and reappeared above her. She managed to plant her foot square on Kuroko's cheek.

Kuroko stumbled back, but immediately regained her balance. _God, I hate dealing with other teleporters_, she thought to herself as she glared at the black haired girl. Her attacker just stared back at her, sporting a sly smile under the shadow of her hood.

"Who are you? And why are you attacking Judgement?" Kuroko asked, hoping to buy time to figure out a strategy. In a split second, the other girl appeared in front of Kuroko and attempted to land a punch, but she instantly teleported to the other side of the room.

She only answered with a laugh. The hooded girl grabbed onto a sharp rock while Kuroko gripped tightly onto one of her spikes. They stared at each other for a moment, deciding what move would be the next.

"Well, well, we could probably do this all day long," the girl commented, breaking the silence. "But sadly, I don't have all day to fight you."

At that, the girl darted her eyes toward the wounded Judgement member and grinned devilishly.

_Damn! _She yelled at herself as she instantly teleported in front of her injured colleague and pushed her to the side before feeling a stinging pain in her stomach. The rock the girl was holding was now protruding from Kuroko's gut. Blood instantly started to seep through her shirt and jacket. She bit her lip to transfer the pain.

"Wow, you are so predictable, Shirai-san. All I have to do is threaten another's life and you'll instantly teleport to their rescue, huh? Well that makes everything a lot easier."

Kuroko gritted her teeth and attempted to teleport once again, but the object lodged within her stomach caused excruciating pain.

"My name is Ishihara Satomi," the girl announced. She walked over to Kuroko and knelt down beside her. "Unfortunately, I am not allowed to kill you here. There's still some people that would love to meet you. But…"

She placed her hand on the rock and dug it deeper into Kuroko's stomach.

"…It's just so fun to watch you in pain."

It felt as if the rock was tearing away at Kuroko's insides. She couldn't help but scream as her vision became hazy. She made attempts to fight against Ishihara, but to no avail. Her strength was beginning to wane. Though on the brink of losing consciousness, she heard footsteps and turned towards the direction of the sound. The room was growing dark, so Kuroko couldn't exactly make out who had just stumbled upon her current situation. All she noticed before passing out was that the figure reached into their pocket, and soon a bright beam shot across the room.

* * *

Eyes opened to blurry sights for Kuroko as she looked around the bright hospital room. She felt a ruminating warmth in her right hand, but as she had managed to regain focus, she realized no one was currently on that side of her bed. But there was somebody in the room to her left. It was Uiharu Kazari, her good friend and partner from Judgement.

"Shirai-san! You're awake! How are you feeling?" Uiharu asked, concern apparent on her face. Kuroko at first ignored her question as she stared into her right hand.

_Why is my hand so warm?_

"Shirai-san?" Uiharu said breaking her from her thoughts. Kuroko looked back with an apologetic look and grazed above the wound in her stomach.

"I'm feeling alright. I've been through worse," she answered with a slight chuckle before remembering the beam of light. Her eyes instantly widened. "Uiharu, how did I get here? Who found out where I was? Was it Anti-Skill…?"

Uiharu's look of concern immediately transformed into nervousness.

"Well you see…I had contacted Anti-Skill, but their response time would have taken too long to get to you…and well I knew of someone who lived in the area…and well…" Uiharu lightly scratched her cheek as she trailed off.

"Well…what?" Kuroko didn't like where this was headed. There was only one person that lived in that area of the district that she knew of. Only one girl in particular. One certain Electromaster.

_Onee-sa-…I mean Mikoto…I have to stop with that affectionate nickname._

Both Kuroko and Mikoto had followed each other through the rest of middle school and high school, but when Mikoto transitioned into college, and Kuroko continued into her senior year of high school, they had seen a lot less of each other. But it did not dismay the teleporter. In fact, she was relieved that they spent less time together. Over the years, Kuroko had managed to greatly restrain her perverted antics, and eventually reduced them to almost zero. She had just been trying to stray herself away from Mikoto, but as she distanced herself, she only grew fonder of the older girl. Every time the electromaster looked her way and smiled, it felt like slow motion. It felt like they were the only people left in the world. It felt like they belonged together.

But they didn't. Shirai Kuroko came to realize that her beloved "Onee-sama" would never reciprocate her feelings. So she finally decided to separate herself completely from the older girl. It only hurt Kuroko more to be so close yet so far from the girl she loved. And she had done well in keeping her distance. Even after she finished her last year of high school, the two girls didn't spend much time together. She didn't even ask what college Mikoto went to. In all honesty, Kuroko didn't even think about continuing into college. Instead she dedicated all of her time to Judgement. She really didn't do anything besides work, eat, and sleep. She just tried to indulge herself into her work. She hasn't even seen Mikoto for the past five months.

Suddenly, she was once again strayed from her thoughts when she noticed another person enter the room. The girl's brown hair now reached her chest, but her bangs and the way she parted her hair remained the same. She wore dark, somewhat skinny jeans, a loose, gray long-sleeve shirt and an orange tank top peeked from under the shirt. Her familiar chestnut eyes pierced through Kuroko's heart. The distance she kept faded away. It didn't dampen her feelings at all. The girl she loved was standing right there. The one that could melt her heart with a simple smile: Misaka Mikoto.

They were both at a loss for words.

"…Kuroko?" Mikoto mustered up her courage to speak up. She was nervous when she got the call from Uiharu. She was also terrified to know that Kuroko was in danger. Regardless of the distance between them, she still cared deeply for her best friend. No amount of time or miles could sway her to think differently of her kouhai.

"…" Kuroko was unable to respond, and the delicate voice of Mikoto made her blush slightly. She quickly cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. Just as she was about to speak, Uiharu chimed in.

"Thank you for responding as quick as you did, Misaka-san," she beamed with a smile. Now Mikoto began to blush as she looked off to the side.

"Of course, no problem," she responded as she went to reclaim her spot near the right side of Kuroko and reached out to hand Kuroko a drink she had bought for her.

"Have you been the one sitting there this whole time?" Kuroko inquired, finally finding her voice. As she grabbed onto the can, neither her nor Mikoto let go right away. The older girl's hand slightly grazed Kuroko's before she blushed again and pulled away.

"Um, yeah, ever since they let visitors into the room a couple hours ago."

"Yup, Misaka-san has been at your side the entire time!" Uiharu said in a chipper tone.

"Well—!" Mikoto's cheeks became an even deeper shade of crimson as she tried to think of something to say, but was cut off by the smile of her kouhai.

"Thanks…Mikoto," Kuroko said, though there was a subtle somber tone in her voice. A hint of surprise was shown in Mikoto's face.

"Heh, it's still taking some time to get used to you calling me that," she commented, almost reciprocating the same tone of voice.

An uneasy silence fell over the room, lasting a couple of minutes, before the familiar doctor, Heaven Canceller, walked into the room.

"Ok, so Shirai-san, you will be free to go in a few minutes, though I would recommend you using a wheel chair for the remainder of the day," he announced, rolling in said wheelchair.

Kuroko sighed and ruffled her hair a bit as she replied, "Not again…I have become far too comfortable over the years with a wheelchair unfortunately…but I will take your recommendation."

"I also suggest that someone accompany you home. I know your one to refuse help, but it's always safer, especially since you suffered a pretty bad wound."

Upon hearing this, Mikoto started to open her mouth as she looked at Uiharu, but Kuroko began to speak first.

"I suppose you are right about that as well, Doctor. Uiharu, would you mind?" Kuroko inquired, deliberately looking away from Mikoto. Uiharu once again glanced at the electromaster. She noticed that the older girl was staring at the ground. There seemed to be an unreadable expression on her face.

"Um…" Uiharu began as she thought of what to say. She then cleared her throat and continued, "I'm sorry Shirai-san, I actually have plans that I uh…well Ruiko needed my help for something. What about you Misaka-san? Are you free right now?"

Mikoto instantly picked her head right up.

"Oh! Um—"

"I wouldn't want to trouble you…Mikoto," Kuroko said, cutting her off, before glaring at Uiharu. "I can make it home by my—"

"No! It's no problem, really!" Mikoto nearly shouted. Uiharu smiled at the light that was clearly shining in her eyes. Kuroko was taken aback by Mikoto's excitement, and immediately blushed in response, with the electromaster following suit.

"I mean, if that's ok," Mikoto added, raising her hand and scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Well, that would be ok, I guess, as long as I'm not burdening you," Kuroko replied, forcing herself to look away from the cute expression on her face.

"Of course not, Kuroko."

"Well, since that is settled, you are free to go now Shirai-san," Heaven canceller chimed in before exiting the room.

"I guess I'll be taking my leave as well then, Shirai-san."

With that, Uiharu waved and walked out of the room, leaving Kuroko and Mikoto alone. The silence once again befell the two friends. Mikoto shifted her feet while Kuroko ruffled the sheets on the bed.

"So…I should probably get changed," Kuroko spoke up, attempting to rise from her spot on the hospital bed. As she landed her feet on the ground and pushed herself off, she immediately began falling. Mikoto hastily stood up and tried to hold her in place, but she lost her balance. They both ended up colliding with the ground, Mikoto being the one taking the full hit, breaking Kuroko's fall.

"Ow," they said in unison. They didn't stand up promptly. They nearly stayed in that position for a few seconds.

"Are you ok, Kuroko?" Mikoto asked, before realizing the position they were in. Kuroko's cheek was lightly touching her own, and the warmth emanating from it gave way to another crimson blush on the older girl. Kuroko tried to prop herself up, before she stopped halfway, gazing into Mikoto's eyes. It only lasted a moment before the redness deepened for both girls. Kuroko frantically rolled off to the side.

"I'm sorry!" Kuroko shouted, bowing her head apologetically. Mikoto didn't reply at first, she just remained there, her heart running at a million miles an hour.

_What's with this? Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden? _Mikoto thought to herself, placing her hand over her chest as if it would slow her heart beat. It took her a moment to notice Kuroko was staring down at her worriedly.

"…Mikoto?" Kuroko said as she tucked strands of hair behind her ear. For some reason, the motion made Mikoto's heart pick up even more speed.

_Has it really been that long since I've seen Kuroko? Why does this feel so different right now?_ At that thought, she shook her head and picked herself up before extending a hand to her former roommate. Kuroko hesitated for a moment before accepting her help. Mikoto quickly helped her back onto the bed.

"Well…maybe the wound was a little more painful than I thought," Kuroko commented with a slight laugh. She looked up at Mikoto to see that she seemed nervous. "Um, are you feeling alright?"

"Oh! Heh, yeah, sorry. So…well…seeing that you couldn't really stand on your own…did you need any help, uh…changing?" Mikoto inquired, staring off to the side. A smile almost beamed from the teleporter.

_Dammit! Don't make this uncomfortable for her!_ Kuroko yelled at herself as she quickly restrained herself.

"No, it's ok. I can manage on my own! I appreciate it though," she answered as she stood up more cautiously from the bed. She hobbled over to Mikoto and nearly pushed her out of the room. After she closed the door, she called out, "Just give me a few minutes!"

Mikoto sighed and sat on a seat outside the room, losing herself in her thoughts.

_It's only been five months, but it feels like a lifetime. Maybe it's because Touma and I broke up about four months ago. The two closest people to me have been out of my life for the past few months. It's been kind of lonely…is that why I feel so happy being next to Kuroko? But why do I also feel so nervous? Why is she making my heart beat so fast?_ With that last thought, Mikoto ruffled her hair violently in frustration.

Just then, the door opened slightly, revealing Kuroko, who was holding onto the door frame for support. She was wearing a gray skirt, the same one from earlier, and a loose pink t shirt. She wore a fashionable sandy brown jacket that went down to right before her hips. Her untied hair stretched to about the middle of her back.

As she took in the appearance of her kouhai, Mikoto slowly brought her hands down from her hair and seemed to be entranced.

"Wow, Kuroko, you look…really pretty," she said, absentmindedly. Kuroko instantly blushed in response, before letting a smile come across her face.

Soon after getting Kuroko settled in her wheelchair, Mikoto slipped on her maroon hoodie.

"Alright, well let's get out of here," Mikoto said as she began to wheel Kuroko through the halls.

"Yeah…"

_So much for the distance I tried so hard to put between us…I hope this day doesn't last too long._

* * *

Alright thanks guys if you took the time to finish! Hopefully you review for me!

P.S. Kuroko obviously didn't want to wear her bloodstained garments, so she used a different shirt/jacket. I don't know, I guess Uiharu brought it for her or something. Sorry if this wasted your time for that little detail…


	2. Ito Hiroshi

Well hey there! A fast update I hope? So I took some time to think but I came to realize that I'll still have Kuroko just call Mikoto by her first name without any honorifics, though I appreciate the recommendation! I just think Mikoto would be ok with it after all they had been through together.

But thanks so much to all the reviews/favorites/followers I have received so far for the story! I hope I can deliver properly to all of you wonderful people!

I would also like to personally thank chaosrin for that detailed review. I'm going to try my best to add all of the investigation details, and I actually added an entire part/character in this chapter because of your review! Lol but yeah I'm gonna try my best. I've never really written a crime story like this before, so I'll apologize in advance if it doesn't appeal to everyone.

Anyways, happy reading!

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_Chapter 2: Ito Hiroshi_

_December 2__nd__, 5:30 PM_

_A Certain Hospital_

A man of about twenty-six years was sitting outside one of the hospital rooms. He was wearing black slacks, an untucked, dark blue dress shirt, and a black suit jacket. He had short, brown hair and gray colored eyes. His slender frame had been hunched over this chair for the past hour as he awaited to question the patient inside. When the door finally opened, the man stood up abruptly. He reached into his pocket and revealed his Anti-Skill badge to the exiting doctor.

"Excuse me, Doctor, I am Ikeda Jiro of Anti-Skill. Has Hayashi-san recovered from her confrontation earlier?"

"The injuries weren't as severe as I originally thought, so she has stabilized and is now awake," the doctor replied.

"Good to hear. But I do have some questions that I must ask her. Is there anyone else in the room?"

"It is only her little sister that is accompanying her at the moment. Does that pose a problem for your questioning?"

"No, not at all. I was just wondering. So may I enter the room?"

"Of course, officer," the doctor said as he moved to the side to allow Jiro inside the room. The agent nodded in thanks and proceeded, closing the door behind him.

As he walked in, he took in the state of the injured Judgement officer. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her forehead was wrapped in bandages. She was sitting upright in the hospital bed and was speaking to a younger girl with a striking resemblance.

"Pardon me, Hayashi Rika-san, but I have some questions for you regarding the incident today. I am agent Ikeda Jiro of Anti-Skill," Jiro announced, interrupting the two girls. Hayashi looked at him and bowed her head.

"Of course, I'll answer as best I can," she replied, giving a faint smile.

"Thank you," he said as he took out a pen and notepad. "Do you think you could make an accurate description of your captor?"

"No, I only know it was a girl, but that's about it…" she trailed off as she clenched her sheets. "But…I know I wasn't her intended target. I was only used as bait."

Jiro cocked an eyebrow. "Well, do you happen to know who the intended target was?"

"It was another Judgement member she was after. I'm sure you've heard of Shirai Kuroko?"

"The teleporter from the 177th branch? She was the one involved in the Ito Hiroshi case, right?"

Hayashi shuddered at the mention of the name: Ito Hiroshi. He was a madman, a serial killer, a terrorist. Ito Hiroshi imitated a demon in human form.

"That's right," she muttered as she overcame her moment of fear. "She was the one who…well…"apprehended" him three months ago. Though it wasn't part of her branch's jurisdiction…or should I say it wasn't even a job for Judgement at all. It was supposed to be handled by Anti-Skill, but she took it upon herself to get involved."

"That situation turned ugly really fast," Jiro said as he lowered his eyes. "But I have to admit that without the help of Shirai-san, things would have turned out a lot worse. We really owe her our lives, especially after all the trauma that incident must have caused her."

"Yeah…well, I'm sorry Ikeda-san, that's all I can really tell you. I don't know much else. I was unconscious most of the time," Hayashi said apologetically, scratching the side of her cheek.

"Ok, well I thank you for your cooperation and the information you provided for me. I will be taking my leave now, Hayashi-san. I hope you feel better soon. Take care of yourself," Jiro said as he smiled and left the two girls on their own. He walked through the building with a scrunched up frown, lost in thought.

_Ito Hiroshi, this unknown assailant, and Shirai Kuroko. Somehow I have a hunch they are connected somehow, but what ties them all together?_

* * *

Light peered through the leaves of the trees, but there was still plenty of shade. A gentle breeze graced the two girls that were currently seated at a table, eating crepes in the familiar park. They were in silence for most of the day so far, though the experience wasn't proving to be truly dreadful.

Kuroko had mainly been thinking about the events that have been happening with Judgement and the deliberate attacks. Also, why were they after her?

_Just who is this Ishihara Satomi? And what did she mean by 'there are still people who would love to meet you'? There are a lot of things that I'm just burning to check out right now, but I've already heard from Uiharu that they've moved this case on to Anti-Skill. And I can't really do much in my state right now. I'll have to wait until tomorrow when I can ditch this wheelchair._ Kuroko paused in her thoughts when she looked up at Mikoto.

_I don't want Mikoto to get involved and worked up with this case. Maybe I should distract her with something to keep her from asking about that attack. I've been lucky so far to not have her prying into the matter._

"So…how is…Kamijou-san?" Kuroko asked as she looked away, forcing herself to even mention his name.

_Also, I should probably show her that I've accepted her…relationship with him. I can't keep sulking at the idea of them…together. It's been three years after all…three long, painful years,_ she reflected as she lowered her eyes.

Kuroko was quite grateful that they didn't get together until Mikoto's last year of high school, so the following two years, she didn't have to see much of the couple. She never asked them how things were going, and Mikoto never brought it up. It was an understanding that she was unhappy with the idea of her beloved "Onee-sama" with that ape of a man, Kamijou Touma,

When Mikoto didn't reply to her question, Kuroko turned to face the electromaster, and found that she was twiddling her thumbs.

"Well, we actually broke up about four months ago," she announced in a weak voice as her bangs seemed to cover her eyes.

_What? They broke up?_ Kuroko almost shouted in joy before restraining herself yet again as she noticed the posture of the older girl. _No…I can't be insensitive. This must be really hard for her. I mean, she was in…love with him after all, right?_

"…I'm sorry…Mikoto," Kuroko said, trying her best to sympathize. Mikoto picked her head up and, surprisingly, managed to flash a smile at the teleporter.

"Actually, it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. It was actually a mutual understanding. We just felt like our hearts weren't in it anymore…" she trailed off.

"Really? I thought you were…in love with him?" Kuroko questioned. She unconsciously began to twirl her hair as she stole a glance at Mikoto. "If you are truly in love with someone, your heart never backs out."

Mikoto began to laugh at that comment. Kuroko instantly stopped messing with her hair and slammed her hands on the table. She hovered over the table and glared directly at the love of her life. She also seemed to be dangerously close to the electromaster's face. If her pride hadn't been shot down at the moment, she might have been excited at her position.

"What's so—"

"I guess it wasn't true love then," Mikoto interrupted, her chestnut eyes burning through the ruby eyes of her best friend. The shock Kuroko felt from that statement stunned her, and she froze right there on the spot.

For some reason, butterflies began to flutter within Mikoto's stomach, and her nervousness from earlier hit her once again with its full force. The breeze was blowing the magnificent perfume of her kouhai towards her. The smell was elegant yet still playful nonetheless. It was on the brink of driving her crazy.

A deep, crimson blush burned through her cheeks as she quickly stood up from her chair, snapping Kuroko out of her trance.

"Mikoto?" she said, cocking her eyebrow. Mikoto just let out an awkwardly nervous laugh.

"Um, why don't I get us some drinks? I'll be right back!"

And with that, she scurried off to her favorite vending machine.

* * *

"Well…this might pose a problem…" Ishihara Satomi said in a looming voice. The teleporter, who had fought against Kuroko, was observing the interaction between the two girls from a safe distance. She was dressed in the same discreet clothing as before, shrouded by the same hood. She had been trying to track down the auburn haired girl, and finally succeeded in finding her. But to her demise, she noticed the electromaster in her presence as well. She gritted her teeth at the sight of Mikoto. She now held two grudges.

"Damn girl, getting me by surprise like that…" she muttered to herself as she took out her cell phone. She flipped through her contact list until she came upon the name Kojima Masato. She let a small smile on her lips and dialed the number, impatiently waiting for an answer on the other line.

"_Oi, Satomi, what is it?"_ The male voice seemed groggy and irritated.

"Were you asleep Masato-kun? I didn't mean to wake you," she replied apologetically.

"_It's ok, don't worry. What do you need?"_

"I just thought I'd give you some news."

"_News?"_

"Yes, though unfortunately it's not really good news. It seems that our target is being accompanied by Railgun yet again," she said, venomously, as she witnessed the electromaster return to the table.

"_Shit, I knew we should have made a move sooner. This makes everything…" _Masato paused to exaggerate his irritation before continuing,_ "…so much harder. Level 5's are definitely a piece of work. Too bad the preparations took so long."_

"So what should I do, Masato-kun?"

"_Nothing at all for the time being. If I can recall, you already faced off with Railgun and lost right?"_

Though he couldn't see it, Satomi blushed in embarrassment.

"_Just wait. I know it's probably tearing away at you right now, but the time will come. The time will come for all of us. Don't do anything rash, and, most importantly, don't screw this up."_

* * *

"So, Kuroko, I've been meaning to ask you about what happened earlier," Mikoto said, finally regaining her composure after her latest episode. Kuroko nearly crushed the drink in her hand, but she quickly retained a calm demeanor.

"Honestly, there's not much to tell. We got a call at the branch office about there being a kidnapping, so I immediately went to go check it out. I found the victim, got attacked, and then you showed up," Kuroko explained matter-of-factly, though deliberately leaving out the parts about the girl being a Judgement officer and that apparently she was wanted by an unknown group.

"That girl that was kidnapped…she was a Judgement officer right?"

Well hidden fact number one was found with ease.

"Yes, she was."

"Why would they kidnap her?"

_Because it was a trap. They wanted to get to _me_. They knew it would be the easiest way to incapacitate _me_. They knew it would be a great handicap._ Kuroko pondered the real reasoning behind the kidnapping but responded to Mikoto with nothing but a pseudo motive.

"Maybe they merely wanted to ransom her. The girl is not exactly an acquaintance of mine, but I have heard that her family is particularly wealthy," Kuroko said as she looked towards the sky, taking note of the soon to be setting sun.

"But still, that doesn't seem right," Mikoto replied, crossing her arms.

_There was something different when I fought that other teleporter. She was no ordinary delinquent off the street. And the way she attempted to hurt…no…torture is a better word. The way she attempted to torture Kuroko…there was enjoyment and satisfaction practically shining in her eyes. There was almost a longing. This girl definitely had something against my kouhai. But what?_

"Kuroko…"

"Yes?"

"Do you…have a lot of enemies?" Mikoto asked, now looking directly at the auburn-haired girl. Kuroko clenched her fist under the table, the tension remaining unnoticed by the older girl. Still, the teleporter kept a steady voice.

"Well, not…exactly…I mean, it's possible with me being a member of Judgement and all. I arrest a lot of people on a daily basis, and break up a lot of gang activities. I'd have to be an idiot to not think I may have acquired an enemy or two over the years."

Mikoto slouched in her chair, tapping her finger on her arm.

"But, maybe we should start heading out of the park. It's getting dark and I should be heading home. I'm fine though, you don't have to trouble yourself escorting me," Kuroko said as she started to roll out from under the table. Mikoto hastily stood up from her chair.

"Don't be ridiculous, it doesn't trouble me at all, Kuroko," she began as she knelt by Kuroko, staring at her with soft eyes. "I haven't seen my best friend for the past five months, and to be honest, I really missed her." The younger girl immediately blushed before the electromaster added, "I'll walk you home."

"O-Ok," Kuroko stuttered, not knowing how else to respond. Soon, the girls were on their way.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the apartments where Kuroko had been staying since she finished high school. There was nothing special about the building, which surprised Mikoto. She believed Kuroko would be living in luxury, in lavish apartments. Her former roommate was always a high class girl, and thought she would never settle for anything less. But at the same time, she knew Kuroko did have a rough side to her. So maybe it wasn't too surprising.

As they reached the teleporter's room, Kuroko handed Mikoto the key.

"It's this one right here, number 307."

Mikoto nodded, unlocked the door, and proceeded into the room with Kuroko. Once she flipped on the lights, she noticed the apartment was a decent size. Immediately to the left was the kitchen, straight ahead was a simple room with a couch, TV, a desk, and computer. To the left of that room was a small hallway that lead to two other rooms: the entrance to Kuroko's sleeping quarters on the left wall, and to the bathroom on the right.

"You've got a nice place," Mikoto commented, smiling at Kuroko.

"Thanks, but it's nothing too special," she replied, scratching the back of her head. As Mikoto took in her surroundings, Kuroko took a deep breath and slowly lifted herself from the wheelchair.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Mikoto nearly shouted as she was ready to catch her kouhai.

"I'm fine," she said with a smile, despite the slight pain that shot up through her stomach. "But…I wouldn't mind a helping hand to the couch," she added as she held out her hand to Mikoto.

The older girl instantly blushed before she muttered 'sure' under her breath. She accepted Kuroko's hand and took note of how soft it felt. Both their hearts were beating fast as they hobbled over to the couch. Once they reached their destination, Kuroko settled herself into the couch, but didn't let Mikoto go. The electromaster swallowed her own spit as her blush deepened.

"…Kuroko?"

"If you want…you can…" Kuroko trailed off as she shifted her feet. "You can stay tonight."

Kuroko lightly pulled Mikoto down to have her sit next to her on the couch.

"Uh…I-I don't k-know," Mikoto replied nervously, trying to calm her pounding heart. Just then, Kuroko finally released the older girl's hand, but only so she could wrap her arms around Mikoto's. She then nuzzled against the electromaster's shoulder.

_N-normally this is when I should push her off right? _Mikoto thought to herself frantically. _I m-mean, I don't have to push her off…but I can…I can…dammit, what can I do?_

Mikoto's thoughts were interrupted when she heard sniffling coming from her kouhai and she began to feel tears absorb into her jacket. Her nerves quickly dissipated as she stroked the teleporter's hair.

"Kuroko? What's wrong?" Mikoto asked with concern apparent in her voice. She felt the arms around her tighten their grip.

"I…" Kuroko began in between sobs. "I…really missed you."

Mikoto couldn't help but smile as she wrapped her free arm around the younger girl.

* * *

As the night grew on, both girls had retired for the day. Kuroko had offered to give up her bed, but Mikoto assured her that the couch was fine. She had removed her jacket and her gray long-sleeve shirt, leaving her with just the orange tank top. She had also borrowed a pair of black athletic shorts from Kuroko to change into so she could be more comfortable.

Though she had never been to Kuroko's apartment, she couldn't help but feel at home. The soft glow of the moonlight cut through the curtains and illuminated the older girl's resting form. She was stretched out on the couch with her hands behind her head.

_This feels so surreal for some reason. It's so peaceful,_ she thought with a serene smile plastered on her face. _It's just so—what's this? _Her hand stumbled upon something that was sticking in between the cushions of the couch. She sat up as she reached for the object.

_A journal?_

Mikoto looked side to side before opening the leather bound journal. There were dates and times, addresses, phone numbers. But there were also many writings in general scattered throughout the pages.

_Is this like some kind of diary or something?_

As she skimmed through the pages, she saw that Judgement was mentioned a lot, and school, and friends. She also saw her name pop up every now and then, and most of the pages that concerned her made her angry as she would blush furiously.

_Dammit Kuroko, I almost forgot how much of a pervert you were..._ she thought as her eyebrow twitched. Just as she was about to close the journal, she noticed something sticking out of the pages. She flipped through the journal until she came across what it was: a picture of both her and Kuroko after her kouhai had made it into the same high school as herself. The teleporter was ecstatic as she held up her new uniform to Mikoto. On the page was some more writing.

_July 12__th_

_It's only been a couple of weeks since I've decided to distance myself from Onee-sama but it feels like a lifetime. It's not like we haven't gone this long without seeing each other before. It has happened plenty of times in the past couple of years. But I guess it's the resolve that makes it feel different this time. It just hurts so much to be in love. And it hurts to know that your love will never be returned. I'm happy that Onee-sama has found…someone to share her life with. I hope that with time, maybe this love of mine will dissipate._

_August 31__st_

_Who am I kidding? Over the past month and a half, I've only fallen deeper into my love for Onee-sama. Dammit, why is it so hard to stop loving someone?...well I guess that's just it huh? I guess this is what true love is…maybe when you're truly in love, your heart never backs out._

Mikoto just stared at the pages, unsure of how to feel at the words written out in front of her. Of course she knew of the "love" that Kuroko felt for her, but to see it expressed in such a way…how does someone react to that? She gripped tightly onto the journal as she glanced at the door to Kuroko's room.

Mikoto kept staring for a couple of minutes before sighing and once again looking at the book. As she rested her hand on the page, she felt engravings on the next page.

_Was something carved on this next page?_

When she turned the page, her eyes widened. Ink splattered the page with the same name over and over again. The strokes dug into the page, and in some parts it even pierced through to the next. Every inch of the page was covered.

_ito hiroshi. Ito Hiroshi. ITO Hiroshi. ITO HIROSHI…_

* * *

So….how was it? Was it ok? Terrible? Awesome? Let me know! Thanks!

P.S. I understand that Judgement is an organization comprised of students. Also, I know that Kuroko is not currently a student. I don't know how something like that works with the universe. I'm not sure if they'd technically have to "let her go" because she is no longer a student. But if that's the case, I have a reason why they would allow her to be an exception to that rule. She is too good of an asset to the organization to be let go.

Also, I know Kuroko has a tendency to rush into things, and will work her head off regardless of how she's feeling when there is a situation, especially such as this. But remember, she is older, so she realizes that she can't really do much in her condition currently. And I apologize if it seems somewhat slow, but I wanted to give a little background on how their lives have been recently and all that good stuff.


	3. Home

Hey there guys! Sorry that I couldn't try to get this out sooner, but weekends are always busy for me because of work and stuff. Also, my spring semester is gonna be starting next week and I have signed up for a couple difficult classes…..so I'll be pretty busy because of that too…but I will definitely do my best in keeping up with the updates! I'm hoping I can get another chapter out by the end of the week as well.

But once again thanks for the reviews, and I'm glad I seem to be doing something right, so I hope I don't disappoint! Thanks for keeping up with me on this journey!

Also, I'd like to thank Shuzuka for that super detailed review! I literally just saw it right when I was about to post this chapter lol but thanks a lot! I'm definitely going to try my best to keep you on board here for the story! And trust me, I get what you mean about kuroko-centric stories and straying from the KuroMiko aspect of the story, but writing the interaction between those two is like my favorite thing to do, so I'll definitely make sure to keep it all there :) I hope you like the new chapter! And belated Happy New Years to you too!

Btw, Note: Kuroko's injury has healed enough for her to not be hindered by the wound….yeah.

Well, happy reading!

* * *

_Chapter 3: Home_

_Blood covered every inch of the corridor as I made my way through the building. At every turn, I felt the need to vomit. Every innocent child's face stared back at me with blank, lifeless eyes. Their expressions were horrifying enough that I could almost imagine their dying moments. Though the carnage was becoming too much to bear, I pressed on. I had to. There was no way I could turn back. Not now. Not ever. I had to put an end to this madness._

_Only a monster could do something like this. No human being could be so evil, yet so completely complacent. Almost poetic. Almost divine. Almost demonic._

_Even now, his words plague me._

_Every syllable is matched with one of the faces of the fallen. And at the end of it all, I see him smiling. I see him content._

_Even now, his words are whispered into my ear._

_He stands there, ready for death. Ready to be saved by the one he follows because he has purged so many. Because he is covered in the blood of "innocent sinners"._

_Even now, Ito Hiroshi stands in front of me, and he repeats:_

"_With every thought lies a magnificent shade of crimson, and to each his own comes a flame that has arisen."_

* * *

_December 3__rd_

_Kuroko's Apartment, 3:15 AM_

Kuroko jolted from her from her spot on the pillow. Beads of sweat rolled down her face and her breaths were growing short. She remained in a frantic state for about a minute before taking in the sight of her surroundings, remembering she was still in her bedroom. At that realization, she took a deep breath and relaxed. She brought her hands to her face and covered her eyes.

"Just…another nightmare…" she whispered to herself.

The teleporter sighed and lowered her hands as she looked at the time, now reading 3:20 AM.

* * *

_An alley in District 7_

Cameras flashed throughout the alley, taking pictures of every trail of blood, every contusion, and every gash. Yellow police strips were being taped across all entrances to the newly found crime scene. Anti-Skill officers littered the alley as they looked for clues.

"Ikeda-san, there isn't much to go off of here. It doesn't seem like there was anything left behind," one of the officers relayed to the gray eyed agent.

"Damn, I just don't believe that," Jiro commented as he stroked his chin. He narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned every inch of the walls and the floors before looking upon the victim. The body was too mangled to accurately identify. The only information they could obtain was that the victim was female, had to be about the age of fourteen…and that she was a Judgement member.

Jiro let out a sigh as he knelt down next to the corpse. He rubbed his temples before checking the time on his watch.

_8:30 AM…this bastard works late. This murder occurred recently, probably from just a few hours ago. The smell of blood is still fresh._ He glanced at the security cameras around the area. _The footage has probably been tampered with, but we'll make sure to take a look at it._

He examined the victim's body for any trace of her murderer. Something that could lead him to the culprit. Just something.

_Anything…anything left behind…no one would leave this without a signature. It's too meticulous. This is a statement._

Jiro's thoughts were interrupted when he gazed upon the Judgement armband, which was surprisingly clean. He once again narrowed his eyes and slipped on a pair of gloves before lightly picking up the armband.

"Oi, Arata, come take a look at this," Jiro called out to his rookie partner. The young man, Saito Arata, was around twenty two, had medium length black hair and dark eyes. He wore black slacks, a gray dress shirt, and the familiar Anti-Skill armor.

Arata hastily knelt down next to Jiro in order to look at the object in question.

"What is it, Ikeda-san?"

"Notice anything strange?" Jiro asked as he stared intensely at the armband. Arata had a dumbfounded look on his face as he examined the article.

"Um, it's clean?"

"Exactly. In the middle of a crime scene, near the murdered victim…how could it be _this_ clean?" Jiro looked around and noticed forensics making their way through the yellow tape. He flagged one of the forensic scientists to his position.

"Excuse me," Jiro began before he showcased the armband. "This must be examined as soon as possible. Please let the department know if anything comes up."

"Of course," the scientist replied as he grabbed onto the armband and placed it into a plastic bag. Jiro nodded in response as he stood up, with Arata following suit.

"Well, looks like we have a long road ahead of us here," the gray eyed agent said as the victim's body was being transported into the coroner's vehicle. "Are you sure you're ready to handle a case like this, Arata? I know you're still a rookie."

Arata stared down at the blood splattered concrete, still feeling a bit uneasy. "…Yeah, I mean...it's just—"

"Don't feel bad that a crime scene like this gets to you," he interrupted as he looked firmly at his partner. "In the end, you never get completely used to seeing a corpse." He then planted his hand on Arata's shoulder before adding, "All that can change is our resolve to make things right. All we can do is bring justice to those who can no longer have a place in our world."

* * *

_Kuroko's Apartment, earlier that morning at 7:45 AM_

The smell of breakfast entered the nostrils of the electromaster. Mikoto let a smile creep across her face as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up, though still hunching over. She yawned and ruffled her hair a bit before looking into the kitchen.

"Kuroko?" Mikoto called out as she saw the auburn-haired girl in the kitchen. Kuroko turned when she heard that the older girl had woken up. She smiled innocently and instantly teleported to the vacant seat next to her on the couch.

Mikoto nearly jumped and instantly blushed when she noticed what her kouhai was wearing. Nothing but a white tank top that barely grazed the top of her pink lace panties. The electromaster hastily looked away as Kuroko crossed her legs.

"Well good morning to you too," Kuroko pouted. Mikoto took a quick peek of the other girl, quickly taking note of her firm, yet delicate, cream colored legs.

"It's a lot more conservative than those negligees I used to wear," Kuroko added, trying to defend herself. As she talked, she felt something sticking out of the couch. It was her journal. A shadow of panic was shown on her face for a moment before she took hold of the journal and teleported it to her room. After that, she once again became calm and leaned in closer to Mikoto.

"Well…I made breakfast for you," she said as she tried to look her in the eye.

"Thanks, Kuroko," Mikoto muttered under her breath, still too bashful to turn towards the younger girl. Kuroko then giggled, teleported to the kitchen, returned with a westernized breakfast of pancakes and eggs and set up a personal folding table.

"So I'm gonna go take a shower right now. And after that I'm going to head out to the branch office, ok?" Kuroko asked rhetorically before teleporting out of the room.

After Kuroko left, Mikoto sighed and finally turned her head towards the other side of the couch.

_Man, there really is something wrong with me. Like she said, it's more conservative than those negligees I used to see every night in the dorms…wait_, Mikoto came to a halt in her thoughts as she noticed that the journal was missing. _I guess she moved it. I wonder, does she know I've read it? That name, Ito Hiroshi. I've heard it before. There was a serial killer that went by that name that was "terrorizing the youth". Kids were being abducted and killed. It really was a dark couple of months…but what does that have to do with Kuroko? I want to ask her, but…would she even want to give me an answer? Knowing my kouhai, she'll either tell me to stay out of the matter, or she won't even respond. No, I should do some research before I confront her about it._

Finally, with that somewhat resolved, she turned to her breakfast. Mikoto smiled widely, nearly from ear to ear as she picked up her eating utensils. Though, just as she was about to dig in, the doorbell rang. She stared at the door with an irritated expression on her face.

_Well…it's not really my place…so I shouldn't have to answer…_

Mikoto once again raised her utensils before being interrupted a second time by another ring of the doorbell. She sighed and hurried over to the door. When she opened up, she was met with a pair of dark blue eyes that belonged to a slightly taller brown haired girl.

"Hey Shir—!" the girl started in a chipper tone before coming upon a realization. "Wait…you're not Shirai."

"Way to state the painstakingly obvious…" Mikoto replied with an annoyed expression clearly printed on her face. "And sorry, but Kuroko's in the shower, so you may want to come back later."

The girl didn't say anything back at first. Instead her eyes fell upon the appearance of the electromaster. She took note of Mikoto's apparent sleeping attire and her uncombed hair. The smell of the pancakes and eggs also seeped out from the apartment. Finally she snapped back into reality and wore a sly smile, though Mikoto was too hungry and annoyed to notice.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to disturb you. I didn't know that Shirai had someone…_spend the night_," she said, the insinuation practically dripping from her tongue.

"Well, we didn't really plan on it or anything. It was sort of a spur of the moment kind of thing…" Mikoto replied absentmindedly.

"Well, _that kind of thing_ usually is," she said as she winked at the other girl.

Finally, the realization started to spark for the hardheaded electromaster.

"Wait…" she trailed off as her annoyance quickly turned into embarrassment and nervousness. Her face began to light up with the brightest shades of red she had ever seen. "…Wait, hold on! You got it all wrong!"

"No hey! It's fine, I get how it is! I have a cousin who is into girls, so it's totally cool!"

"We didn't do anything like…_that_!"

"Actually, I'm quite glad! I know how Shirai-san is, and, for the past few months, I've actually been trying to set her up with some nice girls I know! But she always refuses, to go out with anyone…you might be surprised, Shirai's quite the lady killer," she said excitedly as she motioned pulling the trigger of a gun.

"Look, Kuroko's my best friend! She just asked me to stay over because we hadn't seen each other for a while! That's it!" Mikoto yelled defensively, clenching her fists. The other girl then laughed.

"Ok, ok, I see. Well I'm sorry for the assumption. I am Harada Kiyoko, Shirai's neighbor," she said with a smile as she handed a bag of groceries to Mikoto, who accepted with a confused expression on her face. "I went to the market the other day and picked up some things that Shirai had asked for. So if you could give them to her, that'd be great!"

"Yeah, sure, I'll let her know," Mikoto grumbled. She began to back away from the door as she added, "Well, I guess if that's all…"

"Oh! One more thing," Kiyoko began as she smiled innocently at Mikoto. "I think you two would make a really cute couple."

With that last line, Mikoto's blush flared up once again as she slammed the door in Kiyoko's face.

_Damn the nerve of that girl! Although…maybe Kuroko and I would make a…what the hell am I saying?_ She yelled at herself in frustration.

"Who was that?" Kuroko chimed in as she exited the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing brown shorts and a white button up shirt.

"It was your annoying neighbor. She left me with some stuff for you," she answered, depositing the bag on a counter as she continued with her previous task: eating her breakfast.

"Oh Harada-san isn't all _that_ bad," Kuroko replied with an awkward smile. Mikoto waved off that comment and fell onto the couch before finally being able to take a bite of her food. Her eyes instantly shined.

"Wow, Kuroko! This is pretty good! I've never really had this before!"

Kuroko just smiled softly as she saw the enjoyment of the older girl. She checked the time on her phone: 8:20 AM. She sighed as she knew that she had to make her way to the Judgement office.

_I have too many things to check out right now. As much as I would love to stay right here with you…there's just too much work to be done right now. Ishihara Satomi…I need to do some digging in the database._

"Well, I'm heading out, Mikoto," she announced as she once again teleported to the vacant spot on the couch. She pulled out a silver key and handed it to Mikoto. "Here, it's the spare key to my apartment. You can stay here as long as you want, just make sure to lock up."

"Oh, ok, thanks," she mumbled with her mouth full. Kuroko just laughed on the inside at the older girl's ill manners. Then, she began to think.

_Hm, she might be mad and embarrassed, but I'll teleport out of the room right after. It'll happen too fast for her to administer any punishment._

Kuroko clenched her fist in an attempt to calm her nerves as she spoke, "…um, Mikoto?"

"Yeah? What is it?" Mikoto asked as she finished swallowing her food and looked straight at her kouhai.

"Thanks…for staying the night and all…and being here for me," Kuroko dragged out, her blush deepening with each word.

"Of course. I'll always be here for you, Kuroko," the electromaster assured her with a goofy grin.

At that, Kuroko harshly closed her eyes and leaned in closer to Mikoto. The older girl couldn't even register what was going on until she felt Kuroko's delicate lips, mainly upon her cheek but also barely touching the edge of her own lips.

The electromaster's nervousness heightened to new levels as her blush grew furiously. But before she could electrocute the younger girl, Kuroko disappeared. Unfortunately, because Mikoto was unable to channel her feelings into anger, she sat there in complete shock and confusion. She mindlessly brought her hand up to the ruminating warmth of her best friend's kiss.

* * *

Once Kuroko safely made it out of the apartment complex, she lightly hovered her hand over her lips, still imagining the surface of Mikoto's skin touching her own. A stray tear ran down the side of her cheek.

_Though it was just a kiss on the cheek…though that was probably the only time I'd probably ever get to kiss her…that one kiss alone could carry me through the rest of my life,_ she thought as she let a smile creep upon her face.

She remained like that for a couple of minutes before returning to reality. Her expression became serious and determination shone through her eyes.

_It's time to get to work._

Kuroko instantly began to teleport through the district, but stopped when she came across something odd. Near the entrance of one particular alley was a mix of people and cameras. She cocked an eyebrow as she immediately appeared next to the crowd. Her eyes instantly widened.

"What…the?" was all she could manage to say as she saw Anti-Skill agents littered throughout the alleyway. Some of the officers were forcefully trying to keep the onlookers from prying into the crime. She also noticed that they were making way for the coroner to take away a body and place it into a vehicle. She clenched her fists, her nails dangerously close to breaking skin. She hastily teleported beyond the yellow police tape, only to be stopped by an agent.

"Hey! You can't be here!" He yelled at her harshly. She narrowed her eyes at him as she reached into her pocket and fastened on her Judgement armband.

"I am Shirai Kuroko of Judgement, and I demand to know what's going on," she commanded. The agent looked at her and scoffed.

"This is being handled by Anti-Skill, not Judgement, so leave."

Just as he was about to push her out, a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"That won't be necessary, she can stay," came Jiro's voice from behind the agent.

"But—"

"Ikeda-san?" Kuroko spoke as she instantly recognized Ikeda Jiro.

"Nice to see you again, Shirai-san. Though I wish it was under better circumstances," he said in a serious tone as he glanced back at the splattered blood.

"What happened here?"

"We're still trying to figure that out. We received word from an anonymous source of a body found in this alley. The victim looked to be about fourteen, but…we couldn't accurately identify her," Jiro informed her as a flash of the victim's carved face reappeared in his mind. "We also know that she…was a member of Judgement."

Kuroko abruptly pounded her fist into the concrete wall.

"Dammit…now it's murder," Kuroko muttered, her voice shaky. Her entire body was trembling with anger as she once again hit the wall. "What…what the hell do they want?"

* * *

_Some discreet building somewhere…_

"Oi, Masato-kun! That was a good catch we got with that Judgement girl last night!" Satomi shouted with excitement. She was sprawled out over a couch in her usual discreet attire.

The room was bland and had very poor lighting. It was nearly empty, save for a couch and a desk which were both currently occupied.

"Who carried out that mission? Their work was almost flawless!" she exclaimed in admiration.

"It wasn't anywhere near perfect," Masato scoffed. He was seated behind the desk, though the light didn't reach him. His face was shrouded by darkness. "But it was a step in the right direction."

"So, about this plan of yours…" she trailed off as she hastily sat up. Masato simply smiled.

"In due time, Satomi. Once we're done, Shirai Kuroko will be at our doorstep covered in wrapping paper and tied with a big red bow."

"And what about Railgun?"

"Well, she would most definitely ruin our plans," Masato said venomously.

"So…" Satomi began in anticipation.

"So, we must kill her."

Satomi instantly beamed with a menacing grin as she begged, "Can I kill her? Next time, I won't be caught off guard!"

He laughed slightly. "Well sure, but listen, don't kill her so soon. Why don't we toy with her a bit? Drag her around, and make it known that she is being targeted as well. As a bonus, we'll be able to worry our intended sacrifice. It's one more thing that could just push her off the edge."

Satomi was nearly twitching with excitement when she pushed herself off the couch.

"Can I start now?"

* * *

_Kuroko's Apartment, 10:30 AM_

Mikoto was draped over the couch, her hair wet and wearing her same outfit from the day before.

_Man, this place really does feel like…home. I don't know why but it just…does._

She narrowed her eyes at the ceiling.

_But, what am I still doing lounging around here? I have to find out more about this Ito Hiroshi guy._

With that resolve, Mikoto stood up from her comfortable spot on the couch and headed out the door, being sure to lock up the apartment behind her. She quickly made her way through the building before beginning her journey to a local library.

As Mikoto walked, she had a feeling that she was being followed. She frequently stopped to look over her shoulder, only to be met with a typical morning crowd making their way to their own destinations. Finally, she stopped and turned into one of the many alleys of Academy City.

_This might be a dumb idea, but if someone really is following me, I'll be able to see them here. Plus, whoever it is, I'm pretty sure I can take them on if they try to attack me,_ she thought confidently.

Suddenly, Mikoto noticed someone appear behind her and place a hand on her shoulder before finding herself twenty five feet in the air. Her eyes widened as she hastily attached herself on the wall, electricity sparking from beneath her feet. She gritted her teeth as she saw who her attacker was: the teleporter who injured Kuroko.

Satomi sported her familiar sly smile from beneath the hood.

"So, Railgun, how about round two?"

* * *

Alright! So how'd I do? If you'd let me know, that'd be great, and it'd give me more motivation to slave over my computer endlessly trying to make a good chapter for you beautiful people!

See ya next chapter! Thanks!


	4. To Awaken The Child's Slumber

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, but I had a lot of stuff to take care of this past week. I will also have to announce that the updates are gonna take longer just because of the classes I'm taking….damn papers after papers, books to read, statistics…yeah it sucks. Don't worry, I will still update and everything, it just might take some time… :(

Also sorry that this chapter is slightly shorter than the others, but I was writing most of this while I was suffering from an intense, throbbing headache (that being said, sorry if you see some errors and whatnot)

Another thing! So combat scenes are REALLY not my strong point. Also, as I stated before, I have really only seen/read through Railgun, not Index, so I don't know an extensive list of Misaka's powers or a teleporter's powers….so if you read this fight scene and you are just so disappointed, give me some suggestions on how to make it better and I'll update it. But even if you thought the fight was tolerable, if you could give me a list of some cool aspects of these powers, I'd greatly appreciate it! That way I could make future fights more interesting!

And thanks for the reviews/follows/favs as usual! You guys are super awesome!

Happy reading!

* * *

_Chapter 4: To Awaken The Child's Slumber_

_December 3__rd__, 10:50 AM_

"_So, Railgun, how about round two?"_

Mikoto gritted her teeth as she stared down at her assailant.

"It's you," she began as she lowered herself from her spot on the wall. Mikoto was trembling with anger as sparks began to dangerously crackle around her bangs.

"You're the one who tried to torture my kouhai…"

"Well, I'm glad you remember me," Satomi responded, unsheathing two small daggers. She instantly teleported next to Mikoto and swung her blades, but the electromaster easily dodged the attack. She countered with a jolt of her electricity and managed to shock Satomi.

At the burning sensation, Satomi teleported a few meters back. She shook off the pain and gripped tightly onto her weapons. She attempted to focus on Mikoto's position, but her concentration was quickly broken as her opponent hastily glided through the alley to her position.

As Mikoto reached Satomi, she coated her fist with electricity and punched her square on the cheek, leaving a nasty burn. Before she fell backwards, she disappeared and reappeared on the other side of Mikoto. Satomi hastily teleported her dagger, aiming for the electromaster's torso but only succeeded in penetrating her left bicep. Blood instantly began to drip down her arm.

Mikoto winced at the pain as she gripped tightly onto her arm. Satomi instantly took the opportunity to appear in front of her victim and kick her in the stomach. Mikoto then snapped back into the battle and dodged another swing of her assailant's remaining blade.

Satomi finally began to show her frustration as she teleported and reappeared above Mikoto in an attempt to land a kick. But the electromaster sensed Satomi above her and threw her hand behind her and sent electricity in Satomi's direction. The teleporter flew back about ten feet.

Mikoto gritted her teeth when she noticed a metal pipe lying further down the alley. She used her electromagnetism to move the pipe and send it flying towards the back of Satomi's head. Her attacker violently grasped her head as she felt blood begin to seep through the hood.

Mikoto quickly retrieved a coin from her pocket and shot her Railgun straight at her opponent. After the light of the beam dissipated, she spotted the dagger on the ground and Satomi leaning against the wall. She was holding on to the space between her neck and left shoulder. The skin beneath her clenching hand suffered a horrific electrical burn. Also, Mikoto noticed that the girl's hood had been torn off, though she still couldn't get a glimpse of her face.

Satomi was breathing heavily and staring at the ground. Mikoto still kept her guard, not wanting to be pierced by some hidden weapon. She kept a cautious eye on Satomi, wondering if she should shoot another Railgun. Suddenly, the girl began to laugh slightly, surprising the electromaster.

Satomi gripped tighter to her new wound, ignoring the pain of the intimate contact, and picked her head up to look straight at her target with her bright blue…right eye. Mikoto was taken aback by the black bandage that covered Satomi's left eye.

"Well…" Satomi choked out, having lost her enthusiasm though still smiling subtly. "That was…fun."

Mikoto shifted her feet, still grasping onto one of her arcade coins.

"If only…you could see…the light," Satomi muttered under her breath.

"Huh? The light?" Mikoto questioned as she cocked her eyebrow.

Satomi now raised her left hand to clutch the area that was covered by the bandage. Both hands that were currently holding onto parts of her body began to tremble.

"Yes…the light…the light!" she shouted, her anger quickly rising. "The light that leads you to _him_! If you could only see the light, you could be saved! If only…if only _he_ was still here…if only the light was…"

The nonsense Satomi was spouting greatly confused Mikoto.

"What the hell…are you even talking about?"

"Our _god_…our _savior_…once we…once we kill…once we sacrifice _her_…we can see _him_ once more."

With those final words, Satomi disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Mikoto could no longer sense her in the vicinity. She narrowed her eyes and sighed as she moved her hand over her wound once more. The dagger was still plunged inside her arm.

_Damn, if I pull this thing out, I'll probably lose a good chunk of blood. Unless…_

Mikoto ambled to the spot where the other dagger was laying and picked it up, only touching it with her right sleeve. She then cut off the entire left sleeve of her jacket and shirt and bit down on the cloth as she pulled out the blade. She cringed at the pain before quickly wrapping the sleeve tightly around her arm, making sure there was enough pressure to slow the bleeding.

After she created her makeshift bandage, she looked down at the two blades on the floor.

_I should take these with me. Maybe they can lead us to her. Hm, I know there's a convenient store up the street…_

Mikoto left the alley for a few minutes and returned with a green backpack, a first aid kit, and two different color plastic bags. She also bought a new maroon colored hoodie. She placed the dagger that she had touched into the red bag, and used a glove to pick up the dagger that had only been touched by Satomi.

_She must have left some fingerprints or something on here, _she thought to herself as she placed it into the yellow bag. Mikoto then deposited both bags into the backpack, properly patched up her arm, replaced her torn hoodie with the new one, and threw away all of the remains of her bloody clothing.

Before walking out of the alley, she looked at one of the security cameras and sighed.

_Too bad the cameras in this area have been broken for the past couple of days._

With that thought, she headed off to a nearby Anti-Skill branch to drop off the weapons.

* * *

_A certain restaurant, 11:30 AM_

"So, Shirai-san…how have you…been?" Jiro asked hesitantly after the waitress took the orders of Kuroko, Arata, and himself. The teleporter swirled the water in her cup with a straw.

"I've been alright," she responded half-heartedly. She tried to smile at the gray eyed agent, but he could see right through it. Jiro lowered his eyes, not sure what else to talk about. They weren't necessarily great friends or anything. They met a few times during the investigation of Ito Hiroshi, which was obviously a sore spot for both of them.

Arata was the one who had tried to lighten the mood, seeing as he was the only one that wasn't involved in the case.

"So um, you really are _the_ Shirai Kuroko of Judgement, huh? I would never have guessed," he said, rubbing the back of his head. His comment was meant to be a compliment, but it seemed to strike a nerve for Kuroko.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuroko inquired, her eyebrow twitching. _What? I look too much like a kid? Go on, say it…I dare you…_

"I just meant that you seem young, that's all," Arata said with a smile. Still, it seemed to bother the auburn haired girl.

"Well, I'll have you know that I _am_ eighteen years old and already classified as an adult, you know…"

"Of course, but you certainly had a powerful reputation before you turned eighteen."

Kuroko calmed down at that statement and cocked an eyebrow. "…Really?"

Now Jiro decided to jump into the conversation. "Yup. You've been quite the role model for our new recruits recently. Even for our Saito Arata here," he said, slapping Arata's back. The dark eyed rookie seemed to be embarrassed by the accusation.

"I just admired the fact that someone so young had accomplished so much. I mean, I'm twenty two, and I haven't really done much with my life," he said, lightly scratching his cheek and gazing to the side.

Kuroko sighed before looking at Arata. "You make it sound like you're old or something."

"I don't mean to sound old, but I just feel like I've missed out on something, ya know? Like my time to do anything really important has already passed me up," Arata said, somberly. Kuroko narrowed her eyes as she stared at the agent.

"It's never too late to make an impact on the world. Everyone has some reason for being here right?" Kuroko said before smiling. "Don't make it sound like you've given up, Saito-san. You've got plenty of time."

"She's definitely got a point there, Arata," Jiro commented with a thumbs up before lowering his hand and putting on a serious face. "And you could start by making a difference with this case we have on our hands."

This statement brought along apparent still air. The table remained silent for a minute or so before Kuroko spoke up, "So…are there any leads on the person behind this?"

Jiro just shook his head. "None as of yet. We're still waiting on word from our forensics team."

"Have they identified the victim yet?"

"Yes," Arata confirmed. "Her name is Shibata Midori. She was still…pretty new to Judgement."

Kuroko clenched her fists. _Dammit…this monster has to be stopped soon…wait, that name._

"Shibata? How come that name sounds familiar?"

"Their one of the extremely wealthy families here in Academy City," Arata said matter-of-factly.

"You probably know the name because of their father. Religion isn't that big here in a scientific city, but Shibata-san went out of his way in order to speak against it."

"Could that make some connection?"

"We're not so sure yet, but it could be a clue," Jiro answered as the waitress finally brought the food to their table. Just as he was about to take a bite, his cell phone rang.

"This is Ikeda," Jiro answered.

"_Ikeda-san, it's about that armband…"_

* * *

_Library, 12:25 AM_

After anonymously dropping off the evidence at a nearby Anti-Skill branch, the electromaster had headed off to her original location. Mikoto typed away at a computer in a local library. For the past hour, she had been researching about Ito Hiroshi. Many links gave way to the name: murderer, terrorist, demon…god.

_Damn, this Ito guy really was a monster, and by the looks of all the articles and the followers he apparently had…it seems he was part of a cult. Or I guess, leading the cult would be better to say. People saw him as a "god" of some sort, and dedicated their lives to him. They made sacrifices to him as well: like slaughtering animals and sometimes mutilating part of their own bodies to show their loyalty. He was always trying to "convert children to see the light" of his so called "religion", though no one really knew what his teachings were. _

Mikoto gritted her teeth as she read one of the articles. _He abducted kids ranging from 7-17, and tried to convert them. He would kidnap them, brainwash them, and once he felt they were ready, he would give them a final task. He would convince these children that the thoughts they should have are thoughts of red, and that they should hold a deep desire to "save" their family. Of course, "save", meant murder. Though, most children didn't pass this test. This is when the child would normally break from this madman's grasp and refuse to kill._

The electromaster now exited out of the web browser and sighed. _After they refused, he would then murder them, and leave a message along with the body:_

"_With every thought lies a magnificent shade of crimson, and to each his own comes a flame that has arisen."_

_This went on for a couple of months (as far as we know) before he really lost it. His followers all managed to infiltrate an elementary school three months ago: teachers, janitors, cooks, visitors, and even some students themselves. A lot of innocent children died that day…but they never released the details of how that actually ended up happening._

Now the girl ruffled her hair furiously. _But what the hell does this guy have to do with Kuroko? Was she involved or something?_

"Hey, Misaka-san."

Mikoto was instantly broken from her thoughts as she laid her eyes upon a girl around her same age.

"Oi, Takaki-san, how are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. The real question is how are _you_? I haven't seen you on campus at all this semester," the girl said with concern. Mikoto tensed at that comment, though she tried to play it off.

"Sorry, yeah, I've just had a lot of stuff going on and…" she trailed off, looking away from her classmate.

"Wait, did you…" the girl stopped for a second and lowered her voice. "…drop out, Misaka-san?"

"No, of course not," Mikoto replied at the same volume. "I just…decided to take off a semester, that's all."

"Oh, ok. Well I have class starting soon, so I'm going to head off. I hope you get whatever you need to get done finished soon. I'll see you later," she said as she waved her hand and left. Mikoto waved back until she could no longer see the other girl. Once she was out of sight, she sighed and rose from her seat, slinging her green, now empty backpack over her shoulder.

_Man, I was hoping to avoid anyone from school._ She looked at the time on her watch and gripped onto the strap of her backpack before leaving the building. The electromaster walked for about twenty minutes before arriving at her studio apartment.

Upon entering, Mikoto stared at her messy surroundings. Plates, glasses, clothes, papers, books all littered the floor. The window was covered with dark curtains, keeping any light from penetrating the apartment. She sighed as she ambled over to her bed and fell face down into the mattress.

The electromaster remained like that for a few minutes before turning over and staring at the ceiling. Darkness seemed to engulf her, though it was still early in the day. She clenched her fists at the heaviness that was building in her chest. Then, the heaviness lifted and left an incredible emptiness almost instantly. She raised her hand to cover her eyes as she felt a tear trail down her cheeks.

"No…" Mikoto whispered to herself. "I'm not…I'm not anymore."

Wiping her cheek, the brown haired girl stood up and sluggishly walked into her bathroom and glared at herself in the mirror.

"I just…don't feel the same," she said as she opened up the cabinet behind the mirror. The electromaster then gazed at the bottle of anti-depressant medication. Narrowing her eyes, she reached for the bottle and took out a pill before closing the cabinet.

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, Forensics Lab 12:30 PM_

"What have you found?" Jiro asked firmly as he practically barged into the laboratory, Arata and Kuroko following right behind. The scientist looked at the auburn haired girl strangely at first before Jiro added, "She's with us. She's a member of Judgement."

The scientist nodded in response and motioned for them to follow him to the article in question.

"While we were beginning to examine the armband, we noticed a different shade of green on the inside of the armband. After further analysis, we were able to make something out of it. We rewrote the message here," he explained as he handed a piece of paper to Jiro.

It read: "With every thought lies a magnificent shade of crimson, and to each his own comes a flame that has arisen."

His gray eyes instantly widened at the familiar message before he continued to read on:

"They will increase greatly in number as we show the light to awaken the child's slumber."

* * *

So I know there wasn't too much action other than the beginning, but I'm still trying to set up the background of the characters, how they've been the past few months, adding some depth to the OCs, that kinda stuff. Oh yeah! And finally having you guys learn some stuff about Ito Hiroshi! He's not that great of a guy….

Also I thought it'd be interesting to add Arata's I'm-too-old-to-do-anything-important conversation just because I'm sure some of us have to have that feeling sometimes when we're watching anime, especially if you're already in college like me. Sometimes I'm like "damn, I should have saved the world like four times by now…." But yeah lol

Anyways thanks for reading! And review and let me know how I did! I apologize if it was boring, but I was still trying to create a setting and basis for the investigation and stuff/how Mikoto's been doing the past few months.

See ya next chapter! (Whenever that comes….sorry, school sucks)


	5. Ghosts

Hey there guys! I'm back! Lol well I'm keeping the a/n short just because I gotta hurry up and upload this because I have school in a few hours…

But as always, thanks for those reviews/favorites/follows guys! It really does boost me up a bit to see those notifications and gets me to work faster! And to think of more stuff to make the story even better! (well hopefully…)

And thanks xxBakaAkki for that detailed review! (I always love those). I'll definitely look into doing that internal dialogue, cause yeah she was pretty peeved during that fight. She really doesn't like Satomi cause of what she did to Kuroko and all that and stuff…but yeah. And dang…accounting and theoretical physics? That's crazy, I'd just quit college….(jk I totally wouldn't) but good luck with that! Hope your first week works out well for you!)

Anyways, I really gotta get to sleep…Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 5: Ghosts

_December 3__rd__, 12:45 PM_

"It can't be…" Kuroko muttered after being shown the message. "He can't be…I…" The teleporter was on the brink of falling to her knees, her weight feeling heavier than it should.

"Of course not. We all know that…that Ito Hiroshi is dead," Arata said, also staring disbelievingly at the piece of paper.

At that statement, images of crimson seared through her mind. Kuroko clenched her fist until it drew blood on her palm. Jiro noticed the posture of the young girl and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. The action seemed to calm her down slightly.

"No, it's not him," Jiro began. "It's probably a copycat."

"But how could they know about that message? It was never released to the public," the forensic scientist inquired.

"That doesn't mean it couldn't have leaked at some point," the gray eyed agent replied.

Kuroko finally regained her composure and shook off the images. Still continuing to hear the agents talk, she grabbed a tissue and cleaned the blood on her hand. "My guess would be that it's one of his followers," she chimed in.

Arata held a dumbfounded look on his face. "Followers?"

"Surely you've read or heard about what happened at the…elementary school, Saito-san? And of the supposed "cult" that…Ito Hiroshi led?" Though Kuroko was using her serious tone, she still slightly stumbled through her words. Just mentioning the incident and the monster brought to mind memories she wish she never had.

"Well…all I really know about that incident is that Ito infiltrated a school, hurt and killed a lot of people, and died at the scene."

"It's a little more…detailed then that," Kuroko mumbled before slightly raising her voice. "How could you not know exactly what happened?"

Arata just stared back at ruby eyes that appeared more hostile than they rightfully should. He wasn't sure what to say back to that. The dark-haired young man was still a rookie to the squad, so he couldn't have been part of the incident three months ago. Let alone the fact that no one wished to speak about it.

Suddenly, another scientist entered the room with paperwork and two bags; one red and one yellow. Everyone in the room stopped what they were currently doing and stared at the newcomer. He immediately walked up to the head forensic scientist, the one that had been showing the armband to the agents, and handed him the paperwork.

"Kichida-san, we were able to get a match for fingerprints on the weapons, as well as for the blood on one," he announced, nearly out of breath.

"Wait, what's going on?" Jiro asked firmly. Kuroko and Arata also looked anxiously at this new apparent evidence. As far as they knew, there weren't any more murders, and there was no weapon left at the scene of the last crime. What weapons were they talking about? Was it an unrelated crime?

"These two daggers were left anonymously about a little over an hour ago. The person claimed that the fingerprints would lead us to someone we needed to be looking for," Kichida explained.

"And you didn't find it important to tell me about this?"

"We weren't sure if the case was related to the murders. Also, we hadn't received any results until now. I apologize, Ikeda-san."

Jiro sighed.

"But let's look at what my subordinate has collected for me now," he said as he led the group

* * *

Jiro, Kuroko, and Arata stared blankly at the picture that was showing up on the screen. The match of the fingerprints were to a certain Ishihara Satomi.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kuroko spit out as she glared at the picture. "There's just no way…"

The picture revealed a young girl, at the age of ten years old, with bright shining blue eyes and black hair.

"Do you know who this is?" Arata asked, taking in the reaction the teleporter was having.

"This…this is the girl that kidnapped the Judgement officer and injured me…but, she was definitely a few years older than this picture shows…"

"Well, her picture here is outdated by six years," Kichida explained.

"How can you be certain it was this girl, Shirai-san?" Jiro inquired.

"Because this girl told me her name…but why would our system be so outdated on her picture?"

Jiro leaned closer to the computer screen, examining the picture very carefully. He scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes before a spark of realization shot through him. _Those bright blue eyes…I would remember those for sure…_ he thought to himself as a bloody scene replayed in his head."I remember this girl."

"Really?" Kuroko and Arata questioned in unison.

"Yeah…there was a case I was working on when I was just a rookie. A mother, father, and son were murdered in their beds, but their daughter was nowhere to be found…" Jiro paused for a second as he backed away from the computer screen. "I saw this girl that night. I'll ask for permission to go through those old case files. It could be the break we're looking for."

"So wait, um Kichida-san, was it?" she asked before receiving a nod from the forensic scientist. "Your subordinate also mentioned blood on one of the daggers, right?"

"Yes, and it seems that the blood belonged to…Misaka Mikoto?" the scientist nearly questioned himself as he flipped through the papers in his hand.

"What? Are you sure?" the auburn haired girl nearly shouted, snatching the paperwork from him. Her eyes trembled at the results displayed on the page.

_No, she got into a fight with that teleporter? But how? Why? When? Is she alright? Did someone else bring these in or did she bring them in herself?_ Questions circulated in her head over and over again before she immediately teleported out of the room and grabbed onto her cell phone. Kuroko hurried and dialed Mikoto's number, waiting worriedly and impatiently, but no answer ever came. _I should check if she's home. _At that she teleported back into the lab.

"Ikeda-san, I'm sorry but I have to go."

* * *

For the past few minutes, Kuroko appeared and disappeared throughout the district until she reached Mikoto's apartment. When she arrived at the door, she hesitantly reached her hand to knock on the door. As her knuckle gently touched the door, it opened creakily.

_The door wasn't locked? Let alone, closed?_

The teleporter narrowed her eyes as she pushed on the wood, revealing dirty surroundings in the darkness. Ambling through the small apartment, she stared in astonishment at the older girl's living conditions. Quickly, she came upon the resting form of Mikoto, laying on her back on the mattress, headphones hanging on her ears, and apparently asleep. The electromaster was still clothed in her same attire as the day before, but the left sleeve on her shirt was rigidly cut off, leaving clear view of the bandage on her arm. Red slightly seeped through the white. Though relieved that the wound didn't seem more serious, a guilty expression became apparent on the younger girl's face.

_This is my fault…she got involved because of me…why else would she be targeted like this?_ She thought to herself as she tucked strands of hair behind her ear and lightly grazed the older girl's arm. Upon observing her beloved's sleeping form, she blushed deeply as she started to twirl her hair. Kuroko then focused her attention on Mikoto's lips and mindlessly let her hand hover over her own. One single tear stained her cheek.

_How can it hurt to be so close to her…yet feel so perfect at the same time?_

Suddenly, Mikoto began to open her eyes, waking up to Kuroko staring down at her. The electromaster's eyes instantly widened as she yanked out her headphones, swung her legs over the side of her bed to sit up properly, and covered the bandage on her arm.

"Kuroko! What are you doing here?" she shouted angrily, though a hint of nervousness was expressed on her face. Kuroko was taken aback by her former roommate's outburst. Though the statement was familiar enough for the younger girl, she was surprised by Mikoto's body language. Her eyes darted from side to side, and she was trembling slightly. It seemed as though she was trying to hide something. This didn't look at all like her best friend from a few hours ago. The teleporter shook away her thoughts and narrowed her ruby eyes at the other girl.

"Never mind that! What happened to you?" Kuroko yelled back, putting her hands on her hips and leaning closer to Mikoto's face.

"I-I asked you first! You don't just come barging in to someone's apartment like that!" Mikoto replied, planting her hands firmly on the mattress and leaning in towards Kuroko as well.

"Why didn't you tell me that you fought against that teleporter again?"

Another decrease in space between the two arguing girls.

"I didn't want to worry you!"

Only inches separated them now.

"So you were just going to hide it from me?"

It was silent for a moment as Kuroko gazed fiercely into Mikoto's chestnut eyes. Soon, the desire to argue dissipated within the electromaster as she realized how close she was to her former roommate's face. Her eyes fell upon the younger girl's lips before her cheeks burned a bright shade of red, remembering how Kuroko had kissed her earlier that morning. The older girl hastily pulled her head back and crossed her arms.

"I dropped off the evidence in order to help you guys out with the case. It only mattered if you could figure out who she was. You didn't need to know I was the one involved in the fight."

Kuroko immediately teleported onto the bed next to Mikoto. The electromaster nearly jolted from her spot before she heard the auburn haired girl sigh and rest her head gently on her shoulder.

"I'm more worried when you aren't up front about what's going on with you," Kuroko muttered, her eyelids suddenly on the brink of closing. _ I didn't really…get much…sleep last night…_

The older girl noticed the soft tone, and felt as if she was commenting on more than just the fight. Her kouhai's small voice caused Mikoto to blush slightly, and she deliberately tried to look anywhere but the girl leaning against her. The familiar rapid heartbeat started to thump against her chest.

"I'm…s-sorry, Kuroko."

Reticence befell the two girls as they remained in that position for a few minutes. After Mikoto was able to finally calm her nerves, she glanced at the younger girl, only to find her eyes closed and fast asleep upon her shoulder. The brown haired girl allowed a smile to grace her lips.

_I have a feeling that once more is found out about this case, she's not going to be able to get much rest. She's too hardheaded to take a break when it involves her work…so I'll just have to make sure she takes care of herself._

Mikoto tried to break away from the younger girl in order to let her rest her head on one of the pillows. As she attempted to get up, she felt Kuroko's arms cling onto her own, beckoning the electromaster to follow her down onto the mattress.

_N-normally I should just force myself up but…maybe just this once it's…it's alright, _she thought as she allowed herself to lie next to Kuroko, the younger girl still clinging on her arm. Mikoto tried to shake off the next wave of nervousness. Before it could sink in, the older girl reached for her headphones and placed one ear piece in her right ear, soon falling into her own slumber once again.

* * *

_Near some high school_

The streets were littered with students who were just recently released from classes, all free to spend their evening in whatever way they saw fit. Some studied, some hung out…and some worked. One such girl was of the few who had a civil duty to attend to. She had beautiful blonde hair and hazel eyes

"Are you sure you can't go to the movies with us?" one of the girl's friends called out to her.

"I'm sorry," she answered back, waving apologetically before fastening a familiar green armband onto her sleeve. "I have to get to the Judgement office. I've got like a mountain of paperwork to deal with."

"Aw ok, well we'll hang out tomorrow then?"

"Sure, of course," the blonde haired girl replied with a smile. After watching her group of friends disappear in the distance, she sighed to herself. "Man, as much as I love being in Judgement, I kind of wish I had some more free time…"

"Excuse me, miss," she heard a gentle male voice speak to her and felt a tap on her shoulder. The girl turned to be met with a boy around the age of eighteen. He had short, red hair and violet colored eyes. He stood about 5'10, and had a slender, yet muscular body frame. Dark jeans, a black button up shirt, and a gray suit jacket made up his outfit. After catching her attention, he nervously scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you're a member of Judgement right?"

She immediately blushed, nearly stumbling over her words. "Y-yeah…um, do you need…help with something?"

"Yes, I could use some help looking for something, if it wouldn't cause too much trouble for you. I've looked over and over again, but I'm just not seeing it. I was hoping that a fresh set of eyes might be able to catch of glimpse of it," he said with an ever so gentle smile. The blonde haired girl quickly cleared her throat.

"No problem, I can help you out. What do you need help finding?"

He looked side to side before leaning in and said in a low voice, "Well, I'm looking for my mother's necklace. I was getting it professionally cleaned for her birthday, but I seem to have lost it near that bridge."

The girl's eyes followed where his finger was pointing. It was a familiar bridge and so happened to be only a five minute walk from where they were.

* * *

"Man, I feel like such an idiot, losing something as important as that necklace," the violet eyed boy said as they ambled down the hill to reach under the bridge.

"You don't have to beat yourself up about it, things like that happen. Though I do have to ask, why do you believe it's somewhere under the bridge?" the Judgement officer asked as she descended below the steel frame. The boy followed close behind her.

"Well, I can't really say," he replied, though the innocence in his voice gradually transformed into a sinister tone. The girl stopped in her tracks and felt him looming over her.

_I-I have a bad feeling, _she thought to herself. Trembling, she checked her watch before speaking in a shaky voice. "Oh, wow look at the time. I'm sorry, but I have to be going…"

Suddenly, she felt his arm snake around her neck, capturing her in a headlock. Her body instantly froze at his cold touch, blocking any rational thought from entering her mind. Continuously increasing the strength of his hold, he leaned in and whispered into her ear venomously, "Now, now, we haven't even found my mother's necklace have we?"

His warm breath released her from her frozen state and she attempted to break free from his grip, but her strength was quickly beginning to wane. Saliva started to escape the corner of her mouth as she fell in and out of consciousness.

"You purge the sins of the sinner to save their soul but …" he stated with a snicker. "What do you do when the sinner strikes the god?"

Soon, the violet eyed boy felt no more struggling, signaling to him she finally lost consciousness, though still breathing. He loosened his grip and smirked.

"Well, there is no redemption for that…"

* * *

_All I can see is crimson…so many innocents dying around me. All because of Ito Hiroshi, who still speaks his message continuously. What does he hope to accomplish after his death? Is he calling out to someone? Is he simply torturing me? Like he did to all of those others. In this empty, red space, I seem to sit alone with these thoughts. Sometimes these thoughts are worse than a vision itself. It's like being locked in a prison._

_Now the space has turned gray, and I can see blood drip from ever enclosing walls. Shadows of human shapes are reaching out to me, as they always seem to, and they scream…they scream loudly…their screams are deafening._

"What can I do?!" _I shout out constantly. _"Ito Hiroshi is gone! He's DEAD! What else do you want from me?"

_The shadows draw so close to me, and their overbearing presence is suffocating. Shapes of children also appear, grabbing onto my arms and legs, attempting to pull me every which way. And I hear them speak Ito's message._

_Mikoto's Apartment, 3:00 PM_

Mikoto's eyes shot open at the piercing pain in her arm. Turning her head to her left, she found the source to be Kuroko, who so happened to be digging her fingernails into the bandage on her arm. The electromaster gritted her teeth at the pain and was about to push the younger girl off before noticing her distressed sleeping state: furrowing eye brows, sweat dripping down her forehead, harshly shut eyelids, trembling uncontrollably. Then she heard her start to mumble: "With every thought…lies a magnificent shade of….crimson, and to each his own….comes a flame that has…arisen."

The pain in Mikoto's arm seemed to disappear for a moment as she stared wide eyed at her kouhai. As the older girl reached out her hand to calm Kuroko, her hand was swatted away. The teleporter then completely loosened her grip and turned away from the electromaster, curling into a ball and covering her ears. Sniffling became apparent before she spoke once again, "There's nothing else I can do…I can't bring back the dead…"

Mikoto's heart sank at hearing her best friend's small, somber voice.

_What should I do? How could I possibly comfort her?_

"Kuroko…" the electromaster said gently as she placed her hand upon her kouhai's own. The sudden contact caused Kuroko to let go of the grip on her head, granting Mikoto the chance to intertwine their fingers. The older girl then leaned close to the teleporter's ear. "Listen to me, follow my voice. Can you find your way out of there?"

After a couple of minutes, the auburn haired girl's body began to relax before slowly opening her eyes. When she finally gained focus on her surroundings, she found her hand being held delicately by her former roommate. As she turned to rest her eyes upon the chestnut eyed electromaster, she blushed deeply, with the older girl following suit.

"Mikoto…?"

Mikoto instantly removed her hand and sat up straight on the bed, feeling her heart beating fast once again. _Dammit, I was just trying to save her from her nightmare…t-that's it! Why do I have to feel so nervous because of that? Why do those beautiful eyes pierce through me like they do?...wait, beautiful eyes?_ She violently ruffled her hair. _What the hell?! Well, that's not weird right?_

The electromaster's thoughts were broken when she felt arms wrap around her stomach. For some reason, the motion calmed the thumping in her chest. She felt warmth from the embrace of the younger girl. Warmth that she hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime.

_Kuroko…how is it that you're always able to make me feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be? How is it that…that when you were gone these past few months…that I felt like the world was about to collapse on me? Why is it that when you distanced yourself…I felt so alone? Why did I feel weak? I'm a level five electromaster…I shouldn't need you like I do..._

"Why haven't you electrocuted me yet?" Kuroko muttered, though her voice was muffled due to the fact that she buried her head in Mikoto's back. The older girl smirked as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

"What, do you want me to? Are you some kind of masochist?"

"Well I kind of missed that intimate contact." the younger girl said as she laughed slightly. She then loosened her grip around Mikoto before adding, "So what exactly happened during that fight?"

Mikoto took a few minutes to explain what had happened a few hours ago.

"She wore a black bandage around her left eye? And she was talking about a…_light, _a _god_, and _sacrificing_…_her?"_ Kuroko repeated for clarification. _'Sacrificing her'…for some reason I don't feel good about that statement…who else would they be talking about but the person who…killed their "god"?_

"Yeah, she was going on about a lot of nonsense that I couldn't really make out. Then she just disappeared."

"Well," Kuroko began as she teleported off of the bed. "Maybe you should lay low. We don't know what this girl wants, and it seems that she may be after you for…some reason."

"Wait, me lay low? Have you not heard the news lately? Of all people, you should be the one laying low, Kuroko. Being a member of Judgement doesn't seem to be safe at the moment."

"I can't abandon my civic duty just because it's dangerous, Mikoto."

"How come that almost sounds hypocritical with you saying that to me?"

"Look, you're a _civilian_, as you should well know by now."

"Wow, ok you haven't used that term on me for a while."

"Just please stay out of harm's way, will you?" Kuroko looked around once again at her messy surroundings before smiling at the older girl. "You could clean your apartment."

At that, Kuroko disappeared, leaving Mikoto alone…once again.

_This place…it's no home..._

* * *

_Some Discreet Warehouse type building_

The overwhelming smell of fresh blood flooded the room. A dim ceiling lamp swayed back and forth ever so slightly, never leaving a permanent light. The blood belonged to the blonde haired Judgement girl, who was slumped against the wall and held up by shackles that hung on her wrists. Bruises, lacerations, and dripping blood decorated her body. She was barely conscious, and her sight was growing hazy. Suddenly, she felt a hand harshly grab onto her chin.

"C'mon, you're not going to pass out on the best part are you?" The sinister voice belonged to the violet eyed boy. In his other hand, he was holding a bloodstained dagger. The girl attempted to spit on his arm, but proved to be too weak to even accomplish that. The boy narrowed his eyes and dug the blade into her shoulder. Instantly, she screamed out as tears welled in her eyes. He smirked, jaggedly took out the weapon, and lodged it an inch down her arm, repeating the motion around six times. Each strike had her release a death defying scream, the following louder than its predecessor. He then switched hands and continued along her other arm.

The pain from each piercing blow began to grow numb, and the light in her hazel eyes soon died. Her screams came to a halt, and her body fell limp. A large pool of the girl's red liquid had formed around her. Upon noticing the girl's still body, he sighed.

"Damn…I hope _she'll_ be able to withstand more than these others. If she dies before the finished product…well that would just be pointless."

With that, he dropped the dagger onto the floor next to the victim and walked out of the room, leaving her mangled body suspended on the wall.

* * *

Well….I guess there we have it…..

Is it getting a little more intense? Or am I just crazy? Well not sure, and sorry about leaving no warning about that little violence there towards the end. I kinda wanted it to be a surprise (unless it wasn't….oh well, I can only do so much)

So thanks for taking the time to finish up the chapter if you have, and thanks for keeping up with the story so far!

Please Review! Review! Review! (ya know if you want to and all…..)

See ya next chapter! Later!


	6. As Our Dark World Brightens

Well hello again! It's about that time of the week for another chapter, huh?

Once again, I have class in a few hours so I should try to keep this short! Thanks for all those favorites/followers/reviews as always! Love ya guys!

And thanks chaosrin for yet another good idea that helped its way into this chapter! Hopefully it can provide a little of what you were looking for! Also, you don't need to be a high level esper to be in Judgement. Just look at Uiharu, who's a level one whose power is…keeping things at a certain temperature or something? Can't remember exactly lol. But yeah, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 6: As Our Dark World Brightens

_December 3__rd_

_Mikoto's Apartment, 3:20 PM_

After Kuroko left, Mikoto remained sitting on her bed, staring at her surroundings with low eyes. She sighed, scratching the back of her head and lost in thought. The electromaster thought about the fight with the teleporter, she thought about what little she knew about this case, she thought about Ito Hiroshi…but mostly she thought about her kouhai.

_What nightmare could cause Kuroko so much pain and distress? And what was with the words she was mumbling? Why did she sound so…guilty? Kuroko…why won't you talk to me if something's bothering you?_

Mikoto sighed again before gritting her teeth and stomping her foot on the ground, a hint of electricity releasing from the collision.

_Aren't we still friends? Dammit, weren't we roommates for nearly five years? Sure we haven't spent much time together for the past…couple of years…that's right. We haven't really been the same for the past couple of years. But still! We're still best friends, right?! C'mon, why can't you just trust me, Kuroko?_

Suddenly, her phone started to beep, throwing her out of her thoughts. She cocked an eyebrow as she read the reminder flashing on the lock screen: Appointment w/ Dr. Koizumi 3:45 PM

"Then again…I'm not exactly telling Kuroko about how I've been lately…" she trailed off before noticing what time it was. "Shit! I'm gonna be late!"

Mikoto hurried and changed her shirt into a plaid red and gray button up shirt, threw her hoodie over, and sprayed some perfume. She grabbed a few articles of clothing and threw it into her back pack. Last, she retrieved the antidepressant medication and dumped it in the green bag as well, digging it deep under the clothes, before running out of her apartment.

* * *

The hasty electromaster soon made it to a simple one story building, which seemed to stand out in the big city. As she quickly made her way through the door, she noticed a couple of people sitting in the small waiting room before letting her eyes fall upon the receptionist's desk. There was a young woman sitting behind it with a smile on her face. There was also another figure leaning against the desk and staring at his watch. He seemed to be in his late thirties, and he had black hair and brown eyes.

"Cutting it close, eh, Misaka-san?" the man called out to her, tapping on the face of his watch. Though he sounded slightly irritated, he smiled at the brown haired girl regardless and motioned for her to follow him.

"I'm…sorry, Koizumi-san…I lost track…of the…time," Mikoto explained in between short, panting breaths as she walked into Koizumi's office.

"You know I like my patient's to be punctual, because unlike most clinics, I like to be on schedule," the doctor replied as he took his seat across from a brown leather couch.

"Yeah I know," she replied as she laid upon the leather couch.

"Well, I guess I should be glad that you're here in the first place. When you were first referred to me, you never showed up to your appointments. But enough of that. Let's get started shall we?"

Mikoto hesitantly nodded.

"So I want to try something a little different today, Misaka-san. I would like you to close your eyes and just tell me how you're feeling."

The chestnut eyed girl cocked her eyebrow, "Are you hypnotizing me or something?"

"No, not at all. I just want you to freely express how you've been feeling without any questions coming from me. I shouldn't have to use hypnosis for that. Just relax and tell me whatever comes to mind."

"Well, ok," she replied as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Mikoto tried to make herself comfortable upon the couch, tossing and turning before just laying on her back and folding her hands behind her head. Reticence befell them for a few minutes as she tried to gather her thoughts and feelings. She concentrated on the back of her eyelids before being plunged into further darkness.

"_The world, it's been so gray lately. Everywhere I turn, the colors fade and leave me with nothing. Even on a day it should be sunny and bright, I just can't feel the warmth of the sun's rays. And in my apartment, it's always cold, always carries an icy chill. It's just become an abyss that sucks me in and keeps me from venturing outside…."_

The electromaster paused for a moment and clenched her fists.

"_I've just felt so…alone. My boyfriend and I broke up four months ago, but we were still distant at best for a few months before that happened. And on top of that, my best friend started to distance herself from me even before trouble began between me and Touma. The two most important people were slipping away from me more and more each day…the only people that saw me as more than just the 'Railgun'. The only people I could truly open my heart to if something was wrong. These past few months, I just feel like the world has slowly been collapsing on me…and sometimes I feel like…it's gonna crush me…I feel like I should just…no, I can't…there's a reason now…"_

Now, she unclenched her fists and relaxed again before the hint of a smile shown on her face.

"…_in just a day and a half…it seems that the world has regained a little more color. I can feel a little warmth. I don't feel like I'm suffocating. Something about her smile just lifts me up, and I can't place my finger on why or how. I mean, she's my best friend and all, but, something just feels different. I can't look at her for more than a minute before my heart starts to beat so fast. It hurts to see her in pain, and it hurts when I know she's in danger. It hurts that I know she'll work herself to death on this case. But I can still do something. I can get her to take necessary breaks…and I can help her out, I can help her fight. I can be by her side the whole time."_

At those last words, Mikoto's eyes snapped open and she began to blush furiously.

"Well, sounds like you have a really special friend there, Misaka-san," Koizumi commented with a smile on his face. Mikoto stared off to the side as she reflected on what she had just been saying about Kuroko.

"Y-yeah, she…" the electromaster trailed off before calming herself. "…she really is."

"You better make sure to hold on to her then," he said with a wink before continuing, "But, I think we got a lot done here in this short session. I think we can end it here."

"Really? You got a lot from that?"

He smiled at her and jotted some notes into his journal. "Well yeah. I understand that your world is starting to become a little brighter. That's a big step, Misaka-san. You're finding your way out of that dark place you're holding inside yourself. So we'll meet again next week, ok?"

Mikoto only nodded in response and started for the door before stopping. She sighed and turned to see her psychologist/psychiatrist once again.

"Koizumi-san…is it childish to feel so alone? Is it childish that it hurts so bad that I sometimes can't get out of bed?"

Koizumi lifted himself off of his chair and walked over to his patient. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Not at all. The need for companionship is a vital part of what makes us human. When we lack that companionship, we can grow distant, and we can lose ourselves in a cold, dark world. But when you are able to make a connection with someone, and that person can bring you warmth and light…well no amount of medication I prescribe you could compare." Then he looked off to the side, scratched his cheek and thought to himself, _'Well I guess unless you had a biological problem with your serotonin levels or other neurotransmitters then medication might work better…'_

"Thanks, Koizumi-san," Mikoto said before walking out of the office. She made her appointment with the receptionist and soon left the clinic.

After walking around aimlessly for the past half hour, she came across a movie store. She stared at the building for a couple of minutes, contemplating whether to go in or not.

_Hmm, maybe I can bring a movie to Kuroko's apartment? She wasn't looking too well earlier…getting her mind off whatever she's been thinking about might help._

At that, Mikoto entered the store and browsed the different selections: comedy, than horror, romance, suspense, etc.

_Damn, I must be kidding myself…Kuroko's not gonna relax for a movie night…unless…_ She came across a particular romantic comedy that seemed to stick out to her, plunging her into a memory:

* * *

"_Geez, Kuroko, you're gonna end up killing yourself working on this case," Mikoto said from her spot on the couch. Once again, the younger girl had sunk her head into another case for Judgement. She had barely been home the past few days and she looked more and more visibly tired. The teleporter just glared at her from the kitchen._

"_Well, Onee-sama, if I have to kill myself to solve it, then maybe it has to be done," Kuroko responded absentmindedly before returning her gaze to her paperwork. The electromaster instantly narrowed her eyes at her roommate, obviously taking the comment more seriously than the younger girl meant it to. She rose from her seat and stomped over to the kitchen. Mikoto lowered her head to be level with Kuroko's, and grabbed the teleporter's hand, causing her to let go of the papers. The auburn haired girl stared at her in surprise, and a blush began to tint her cheeks._

"_O-Onee-sama—?"_

"_I don't care how you meant that but…don't…don't you ever say that again…" Mikoto's voice was low, and her eyes hid behind her bangs. It remained silent for a minute or so before the older girl picked her head up and smiled at her kouhai, with a hint of a tear threatening to fall from her eye. "Look…just sit down and relax for an hour and a half…I rented one of your favorite movies."_

_Kuroko reveled in the warmth of Mikoto's hand, which was still holding her own, and sighed before returning the electromaster's smile. "…fine. On one condition though…"_

"_And…that is?" she replied hesitantly._

_The younger girl answered in an honestly innocent voice, "If you…hold my hand throughout the movie."_

* * *

"So uh, are you gonna buy that or just stare at it all day?"

One of the employees brought her out of her memory before she instantly reddened and paid for the movie.

* * *

_Anti-Skill/Judgement Meeting, 4:00 PM_

After first arriving at the Branch office, Kuroko was met with an angry Konori. The, now twenty-one year old, Chief of the 177th Branch scolded the teleporter for not updating her on how she was feeling after the incident. Whether the anger was because it was violating some role of protocol or if it was just because of her somewhat motherly nature, she wasn't sure. Uiharu was also there to greet her, but with a friendlier air around her. Once everything was out in the open about the incident with the other teleporter, the kidnapped girl, and then the Judgement officer that was murdered the night before, Konori informed the two younger girls about a meeting they had to attend. It was an assembly being held once again for all Anti-Skill and Judgement members regarding the recent attacks.

So the three members of the 177th branch sat together in the assembly hall, waiting for the meeting to begin. There was chatter going on between other Judgement members from different branches. Some were dreading this second meeting, some seemed on edge about the topic at hand, and some seemed completely unnerved by the recent attacks.

"I can't believe we had to come out here for a second meeting so soon," one girl complained.

"Yeah, we already know we just have to be cautious, what more do they want to add to that?" another girl commented.

"Plus, they make it seem like we can't take care of ourselves!" an older teenage boy added, lifting a pencil with his telekinesis.

Another girl who sat next to him lowered her eyes at his comment, and she shifted into a timid position. "We aren't all high level Espers, you know…I'm only a level one."

This particular group of members bickered for another few minutes. Kuroko twitched her eyebrows trying to drown out their conversation. _What is wrong with everyone? Do they not realize the severity of this situation?_ The auburn haired girl did her best to calm herself, but it proved to be useless. After having to listen to this exchange of words for a few more minutes, she slammed her hands on the table and teleported herself in front of the particularly loud group. They were taken aback by the teleporter's intrusion, but regained their composure quickly.

"Can you please take this situation seriously?"

The boy was the first to answer her in a sarcastic tone. "Well I'm sorry, Shirai-_sama_. Did we upset you in some way?"

Kuroko just glared at him, and at the two girls who seemed to want to give her attitude. She clenched her fist and trembled with growing anger. The teleporter wanted to shout at them, she wanted to scream at them. Judgment members were being attacked…and one unfortunate girl has been _murdered_…how the hell could they act so immaturely? The thoughts were swirling in her head before the voices of Uiharu and Konori reached her ears, beckoning for her to return to her seat. The pent up anger began to dissipate slightly as she remembered something.

_That's right…the murder hasn't been publicized yet…well that I know of at least. So they probably have no idea that it's gotten so serious._

At that, she teleported back to her seat as the lights started to dim and a couple of representatives walked onto the stage in front of them. A woman, seemingly in her mid-forties, had curly, light brown hair and dark eyes. She wore a black skirt, white dress shirt, and black blazer. She lightly coughed into the microphone upon the podium she arrived at.

"Good afternoon, everyone. As you should know from yesterday's assembly, I am Teshima Nanami, the new director of Judgement," she began as she flipped through a couple of pages she held in her hands. "I am aware that we just held a meeting yesterday morning, but the situation has become more severe."

The audience seemed to sit up a little more on their seats.

"Earlier this morning, we were contacted by Anti-Skill about a most…unfortunate circumstance. One of our very own Judgement members, Shibata Midori, was…" Teshima hesitated for a moment before continuing, "She was murdered last night."

Chatter instantly began between members of both Judgement and Anti-Skill. Teshima waved her hands, trying to calm down the crowd.

"Please, everyone settle down!" After a few minutes, the audience's voices subsided, leaving the director to talk once again. "After much discussion between both I and the director of Anti-Skill, we have come up with a few safety measures to make sure we are creating our best defense against these unknown assailants."

The Chiefs of their respective branches began to take out a notebook as they heard the precautions of Teshima.

"First, no Judgement member is allowed to patrol alone. Also, one of the members of the patrol group must be at least a level three. Second, you may not patrol past six o'clock. We will be increasing the amount of Anti-Skill officers patrolling the area in order to make up for the lack of Judgement members. And third, you are instructed to no longer wear your armband in public. Only show it when necessary. Those are the only restrictions as of now, but we will inform each branch if more measures will be necessary in the coming days…"

Teshima Nanami continued to speak, along with a few words from the director of Anti-Skill, until around five-thirty. After the assembly was over, Teshima ordered everyone to retire for the day, and instructed Judgement members to be on their way home. Kuroko was against just "returning home for the day", but Konori made it clear that she wanted the two younger girls to follow the director's command. Though stubborn, the teleporter abided by her chief's wishes. And with that, she made her way back to her apartment.

* * *

_Kuroko's Apartment, 6:00 PM_

_I can't believe that we have an even earlier curfew now than I did at Tokiwadai. I called Ikeda-san to see if I could help him and Saito-san look through the old case files regarding Ishihara Satomi, but he said that he was still waiting for the go ahead to look through them…Well I can still do some research at home! I'll look up more about…about Ito Hiroshi….maybe I can do some digging into the followers of the cult,_ Kuroko thought as she walked down the hall towards her living quarters. When she arrived at her door, she teleported to the other side, only to be startled by another person residing in her apartment.

"Mikoto! How did you get in here?"

The older girl just cocked her eyebrow at her. "You gave me the spare key, remember?"

"Oh yeah, but…why did you come back?" Kuroko asked, almost timidly. Mikoto scratched the back of her head.

"Well I, uh, wanted to…hang out and watch a movie with you."

The teleporter narrowed her eyes at her, suddenly feeling annoyed at her beloved's apparent carefree nature. "Really, Mikoto…I don't have time to just hang out. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I can't just sit around and watch a movie right now…"

_Ok, I expected that, _Mikoto thought. _Well, here goes nothing._

The electromaster just stared back at the younger girl and sighed before flashing a goofy smile and extending her hand towards her.

"I'll…hold your hand throughout the movie."

Kuroko kept her glare fixed on Mikoto, though a hint of a blush was starting to tint her cheeks. After a minute, the older girl lowered her arm slightly.

"…Kuroko?"

_Honestly…Onee-sama…_

Suddenly, Kuroko disappeared and reappeared only inches away from Mikoto. The younger girl then shyly gazed into her former roommate's chestnut eyes and lifted her hand towards Mikoto's. Though her heart began to beat fast once again, the electromaster smiled warmly at her kouhai and gently placed her hand in hers. At this point, the older girl planned for them to sit down and turn on the movie, but for some reason, she didn't want to move from her current position.

_There it is again, _Mikoto thought to herself. _This feeling…this feeling of warmth, and this beautiful sight of color…this feeling that I don't understand…what is it that I feel for you, Kuroko?_

Kuroko cautiously leaned in closer to the electromaster, feeling her heart begin to race. _Onee-sama…I don't think I can hold myself back this time…_

The auburn haired girl freed her hand from Mikoto's gentle grasp, and tenderly grabbed hold of the other girl's hoodie. As she continued to pull herself closer to the older girl's face, she awaited some kind of punishment, some kind of retaliation. But it never came. No electric shocks, no harsh words. The younger girl reached so close to the electromaster's lips that they were nearly an inch away from each other. Kuroko's breathing became unsteady as she suddenly felt extremely nervous. The older girl's warm breath brushed delicately against her neck and her cheeks burned a bright shade of red.

Mikoto's cheeks also began to redden at how close she was to her best friend. _Kuroko…the way I feel right now…is it really…?_

With that last thought, Mikoto closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against Kuroko's, and, just then, her dark world brightened.

* * *

So, how was it? I know I didn't have too much action, but I have some planned for next chapter!

I was just super stoked to finally have some romance between our favorite electromaster and teleporter! :)

PS: yes I know I said psychologist/psychiatrist, because he has degrees for both…he can prescribe medicine but he also believes in some philosophies of psychologists and their methods.

Well by the end of next chapter, I think we might finally reach the end of this day of December 3rd! lol well anyways, review! Review! Review! I love your awesome comments guys! Let me know how I did!

See ya next chapter!


	7. The Blood of Innocent Sinners

hey there again! Missed you guys! Well glad it's late Monday night and/or early Tuesday morning! Cause you know what that means! Another chapter! :)

So once again, I just REALLY, REALLY have to thank you guys for all the support! I really do appreciate those reviews/favorites/followers! You guys are just so amazing!

Though I will point out a three in particular

To ReaperLuca and Phantomhive07: it is always a super awesome feeling to know that other writers (in particular ones where I really like their stories and actively wait for the updates!) are enjoying a story of my own. So I am super excited to get some recognition from you guys :)

Also, to Kurokanako: you don't know how amazing it made me feel to read your review! Truly, I am honored that you feel that way about the story, and I really hope that I can keep you on board til the end!

I hope I can keep up to the expectations that you guys have! (and if not, I will write a two and a half page apology letter)

So here goes! Happy reading guys!

* * *

Chapter 7: The Blood of "Innocent Sinners"

_December 3__rd_

_Kuroko's Apartment, 6:10 PM_

Kuroko's heart began to flutter with excitement. How many times had she imagined a moment such as this? A moment that she didn't wake up from? A moment so vivid. A moment where the girl she has loved for the past six years was now pressed against her lips. She moved her hands to behind Mikoto's head and entwined her fingers in her hair, attempting to deepen the kiss. The electromaster instinctively placed her arms around the younger girl and held her tight. The teleporter parted for a second to breathe before smashing against her mouth once again, reveling in the taste of her beloved's lips. She gently brushed her tongue along the surface, pleading for entrance.

The sudden wetness of Kuroko's tongue caused Mikoto to part her lips slightly from surprise. The electromaster's face lit up a bright shade of red as the younger girl slipped her tongue into her mouth, instantly exploring every inch she possibly could. The auburn haired girl was too lost in pleasure to notice the slight moan that escaped her own lips or how the older girl had become stiff.

"…K-Kuroko…" Mikoto tried to say, though her voice was obviously muffled. The movement Kuroko felt from the older girl's tongue as she spoke only plunged the teleporter further into ecstasy. After another few seconds, the electromaster was finally freed from her frozen state. She grabbed onto her kouhai's shoulders and pried the girl off of her, allowing for both girls to finally take a full, deep breath.

"Onee-sama…" the younger girl whispered huskily as she leaned in to kiss her once again. Mikoto half-heartedly kept the teleporter at bay, their lips a few inches from colliding once more. The older girl couldn't deny the beating of her heart, or the excitement, or the warmth, or the light. But still, she was confused. She was so confused it almost made her angry. The electromaster gritted her teeth as she cupped Kuroko's face and touched her forehead against hers.

"What…w-what the hell am I doing…?" Mikoto muttered under her breath. The teleporter could feel the older girl's hands tremble against her cheeks. She could hear the shakiness of her voice. Tears began to well in Kuroko's eyes as she moved her hands to mirror the other girl's actions.

"I-isn't it obvious?" Kuroko answered her, almost reciprocating the same tone: somehow unsure but certain nonetheless.

"…but…you're…you're my…" the older girl trailed off before lowering her hands to her kouhai's shoulders and raising her voice. "You're my best friend, Kuroko! I mean, you're a girl for god's sake!"

The auburn haired girl kept her hands planted on Mikoto's cheeks as a few tears finally began to fall freely. "So? Why does that matter?"

"I shouldn't feel like this!"

"But you do, don't you?!"

"I-I don't know what I feel, dammit!" Mikoto snapped at her as she pulled herself out of Kuroko's grasp and shoved her to the side. She clenched her fists and ambled towards the door, tears beginning to stain her cheeks.

"Does it hurt that much to accept me into your life?!" the younger girl yelled, the hurt dripping from her voice. "Does it _really_ hurt that much?!"

"I-I…I don't know…But I-I should leave…I gotta clear my head…I just have to—" Mikoto was interrupted when she felt arms wrap around her stomach. Warm tears seeped through the back of her clothes and she could hear sniffling coming from the younger girl. Her arms were trembling as she tightened her grip on the electromaster.

"…don't…please don't…don't go," Kuroko pleaded. "…please…don't leave me…don't leave me alone, Onee-sama…"

At that comment, all the anger and confusion that was coursing through Mikoto's veins disappeared in an instant.

"…why can't we just…w-why can't we talk about this?" the teleporter muttered as she loosened her grip and fell to her knees. Slowly, the electromaster was able to calm herself and took a deep breath. After a short moment, Mikoto turned to look at her kouhai, who was currently staring at the ground. The older girl lowered her eyes, immediately feeling wrecked with guilt,

_Dammit…what the hell is my problem? _The electromaster thought as she ran her hands through her hair. _I obviously feel something for her…there's this growing warmth that fills me whenever I see her…and no matter how much I don't understand it, I can't deny that…that being so close to her just now just felt, I don't know, like I'm where I'm supposed to be. Kuroko's pulling me out of this dark world, and I just yelled at her for that…I'm such an idiot!_

Once she wrapped up her rants, she took another deep breath and sat down on the floor to be leveled with the teleporter. The electromaster picked up the younger girl's chin so she could stare into her ruby eyes, which were stained red from her tears. Though still in despair from the previous conversation, the contact caused the auburn haired girl to blush as she gazed into her beloved's chestnut eyes. The older girl flashed her a subtle, guilty smile.

"…I'm sorry…Kuroko, It's just…I've never felt this way before…" Mikoto trailed off, her cheeks beginning to redden. "I—"

The older girl was cut off by a firm knocking at the door.

"Shirai-san? Shirai-san, are you in there?" the voice belonged to Harada Kiyoko, Kuroko's neighbor. Both girls stared at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. "Shirai-san, please open up!"

With that, Kuroko quickly wiped away her tears and teleported to the door, with Mikoto following behind her. Upon opening the door, the teleporter was met with worried blue eyes.

"What's wrong Harada-san?" Kuroko asked firmly.

"It's Akane…"

"You're roommate?"

"Y-yeah. She hasn't returned home yet, and she's not answering her cell phone. She always gets out of class at around three but…" Kiyoko began to tremble slightly. "…she's a member of Judgement like you…"

At that statement, Mikoto and Kuroko glanced at each other subtly, immediately not liking the circumstances.

"I mean I've heard the news…and lately it's not so safe out there for a Judgement member," the blue eyed girl continued, starting to shake a little more as she thought of the possibility that something bad had happened to her friend. "I mean, you don't…you don't think…?"

The auburn haired girl immediately moved her hand to her neighbor's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Harada-san, please try to stay calm."

Mikoto leaned her head closer in the door frame and asked, "How does your roommate look?"

"She has…" Kiyoko began, trying to overcome the lump forming in her throat as she described the girl, "…she has medium length blonde hair…hazel eyes…light skin….an amazing smile…she's almost seventeen…"

The electromaster narrowed her eyes and slid through the doorway into the hall and said in a dead serious tone, "Ok, I'll go look—"

Mikoto instantly stopped when she felt Kuroko's small hand grab onto hers.

"And where exactly do you plan to look, Mikoto?" the younger girl spat out. The brown haired girl turned her head to glare at her kouhai. Kuroko ignored her gaze and turned back towards Kiyoko.

"What branch is Akane-san from? We did have an emergency meeting at four, and we just got out recently, so I can talk with her chief to see if she checked in for the assembly," the teleporter stated.

Kiyoko took a deep breath before answering, "She's from the 174th branch."

Kuroko nodded with determination before teleporting away.

"Dammit, Kuroko!" the older girl shouted in frustration. She clenched her fists and looked firmly at her kouhai's neighbor. "Where's the 174th branch?"

"Oh! U-um it's not too far from here," Kiyoko replied nervously before giving the electromaster the directions.

"Thanks," Mikoto mumbled as she locked up the apartment and quickly ran after Kuroko.

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, File Room 6:40 PM_

Jiro and Arata had finally received the approval to look into the Ishihara Murder case files. The room they resided in was full of bookcases, each of the shelves occupied by different case boxes. It took the agents a while to even locate their intended files. After they successfully found the files they were looking for, they sat at a table in the room and spread out all of the papers and photographs taken from the crime scene. They have been scanning every paper, every photo for some type of clue for the past half hour.

"So, Ikeda-san, I know you said you saw this Ishihara girl six years ago during the night of the murder, but something's been bothering me about that," Arata said, taking a quick break from his research. Jiro didn't look up from the reports that he was reading but still managed to seem almost interested in his partner's statement by giving a small 'hm' under his breath.

"Well…did you see her while you were investigating the crime scene?"

"Yeah," was Jiro's simple response.

"Did you know she was the missing daughter?"

"I had a hunch she was," the gray eyed agent responded as he closed his eyes and imagined the ten year old Satomi.

_She was watching us as we investigated her house, as we questioned the neighbors, as we carried out the lifeless bodies of her mother, father, and brother. She watched from across the street. The night seemed extremely dark, and the only thing I could make out was the blood dripping from her clothes and her bright shining blue eyes._

Arata narrowed his eyes at his senior officer. "If you had a hunch that she was Ishihara Satomi, then why didn't you inform your commanding officer, Ikeda-san?"

At that question, Jiro slammed the papers on the table, causing Arata to flinch. He looked upon the agent, expecting to see an expression of anger, but was met with a saddened look. The room remained silent for a minute before the older officer let out a slight chuckle.

"She just…she just looked so…relieved. She seemed so…I don't know, happy…"

The dark eyed young man just stared at him, not knowing what else to say. Jiro seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, gazing at the ceiling. Arata decided to leave it alone, knowing that his partner must have had his reasons. He went ahead and started to look through the reports again before speaking once more.

"Say, Ikeda-san…did they ever find the murderer?"

Jiro ignored his question and stood up from his spot on the chair. "I'm actually pretty tired. I think I'm gonna head home. I've got a beautiful wife and daughter waiting for me to eat dinner," the gray eyed agent stated as he headed toward the exit. "Do you mind cleaning up, Arata?"

The senior officer didn't wait for an answer to walk out of the room. Arata held a dumbfounded look on his face as he looked at all of the scattered files that littered the table. He sighed as he rose from his seat and began to carefully gather all of the reports and photographs, returning each to their respective cases.

"Damn, I know I'm a rookie, but still, you could have stayed to help out a little at least…what's next? Memorizing how much sugar and cream you put in your coffee?" Arata muttered as he placed the box onto the shelf. He sighed and stretched his arms before coming across another series of boxes, all labeled with the same name: Ito Hiroshi.

"_It's a little more…detailed than that. How could you not know exactly what happened?"_

Kuroko's words echoed in his head as he stared upon that name. Though he knew he was alone in the room, he still looked side to side, making sure no one was watching him, before narrowing his eyes at the boxes.

_If no one will talk about this, I guess I'll have to find out on my own._

* * *

_Some discreet building somewhere…_

"Satomi, you don't look anything better than disgraceful," Masato scoffed as he examined his subordinate. Satomi was lying on the couch, curled up in a ball, gripping onto the bandage covering her left eye. After patching up her wounds, she took on this position, muttering under her breath about the "light", and has remained that way for the past few hours.

"My, what would our dear Ito-sama say to you in this state?" he said as he stood up from his desk. He walked until the dim light of the room graced just above his mouth. He wore black slacks, a brown dress shirt, with its sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearm, and a beige vest. Masato now gritted his teeth. "You lost against Railgun, and you've been curled up on this couch all day long…he would see you as a disappointment!"

Hearing what Ito must think of her caused her to tremble and widen her eyes.

"He can see you right now, don't you know that! He is everywhere! He is everything! And right now he can see that you're wasting my time!"

Satomi now sat up and hunched over, covering her ears so intensely that her nails dug into the skin behind them. "I'm sorry Ito-sama, Masato-kun!" After that, she continued to murmur 'I'm sorry' under her breath over and over again.

Masato scowled at the girl. "Sorry doesn't make up for anything. Only action does. Now get up and get ready to take on your next target."

The bright blue eyed girl immediately removed her hands from her ears, blood trickling from behind her ears. "But, what about Railgun?"

"We'll figure out what to do with her soon enough. After what you did three months ago, you're not exactly as good as you once were, Satomi," Masato said as he retreated back to his desk and pulled out a picture from the drawer. He motioned for Satomi to meet him at the desk. Once she reached him, he handed her the picture. "Yamada Taichi. He's fifteen and a level three telekineticist."

"Should I kidnap him, first?"

"No, I actually don't want you to be discreet. I want you to fight him wherever you may find him."

"Understood," Satomi complied in an uncharacteristically cold tone before leaving the room.

Masato watched her teleport out before taking a seat behind his desk once again. _I know they must be setting up countermeasures against us. That much is certain. I have more than just Satomi under my command, though she is one of my two espers, and I'm having them go all out on their targets, right there in the open. I want this city to fear us, I want them to see the carnage. I want them to know why they're beloved children are being murdered, one by one. I want them to hate Shirai Kuroko because she is the reason we are doing what we are doing…though I must thank that girl. I know her death won't bring Ito Hiroshi back. There is so much more that her death can bring for me. But for now, those pawns of mine can't know that…_

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, File Room, 7:15 PM_

Arata stared wide eyed at the reports and photographs displayed on the table.

_W-what the hell? How does no one talk about this?! What, do they think if they keep quiet, that this will be erased?_

One report in particular stuck out to him: the report written by Ikeda Jiro. His eyes darted left and right, taking in every detailed description, every emotion that worked its way through his writing. It's as if he could see exactly what happened.

* * *

_Matsuda Elementary School, Three Months Ago_

The claims of terrorist activity is what brought Anti-Skill to the scene. By the time they arrived at the school, the attack was already underway. The "followers" of Ito Hiroshi were barricading every entrance to the school, all armed with weapons. All Anti-Skill officers soon found themselves taking cover behind walls, their vehicles, etc. to avoid being shot. Near the back entrance is where Ikeda Jiro's squad was stationed.

"Dammit, where the hell did these guys get these weapons?" Jiro shouted as he stopped from shooting and ducked below cover. Jiro's small regiment had been in this same position for the past thirty minutes. A few of his officers had been injured and were trying to patch themselves up right then and there before being whisked away by the medics.

"Ikeda-san, we're starting to get outnumbered here," one of his men mentioned to him.

"Looks like you guys could use a hand," came a female voice, the girl seemingly coming out of nowhere. She looked to be about eighteen, with long auburn hair and ruby eyes. She wore two belts in an X shape across her torso, each holding metal spikes, along with black straps that wrapped around her thighs, which were also covered in metal spikes. In addition, she had a backpack slung on her shoulder, which they could only guess to be housing similar small projectiles.

"What the hell are you doing here, kid?" Jiro shouted at the girl. "This is a warzone right now! You could get killed!"

"Look I'm not just some adolescent! We've seen each other a couple of times already, I am Shirai Kuroko of Judgement!" Kuroko yelled back at him.

"Dammit, Shirai-san, this isn't a matter to be handled by Judgement, only Anti-Skill! We aren't going to let more kids get involved in this!"

"Just watch me," she said as she teleported away. A few moments went by before they heard no more gunfire from the opposite side. Jiro immediately ordered his officers to stop firing to reassure him that the bullets have stopped flying. Soon after, Kuroko reappeared before the gray eyed agent. "Ok, well it's clear at this entrance, but I'm not sure for how long, so we better hurry."

Jiro narrowed his eyes at the younger girl as he called for backup to assist him and his regiment to the back entrance. Jiro reluctantly followed Kuroko's lead towards the building, coming across exploded bits of guns and the assailants pinned to the ground with the girl's spikes. Right before they were able to make it inside the building, they were countered by yet another barricade, though this time there were even more opponents.

"Dammit!" Jiro shouted as he once again took cover to avoid being shot. He looked upon the teleporter and noticed her clenched, trembling hands. Her demeanor immediately turned into one of pure hatred.

"Ikeda-san…do you hear that?" she asked softly, though the gunfire made it hard to make out what she was saying. Kuroko then repeated in a raised voce, "Do you hear them?!"

Jiro quickly tried to focus his hearing on what the younger girl was talking about. After drowning out the shouting and gunfire, he did hear them. Blood curling screams, seemingly belonging to children.

"We have to get in there! If we don't make it soon, we'll be too late!"

"Shirai-san, don't go in there—" Jiro was cut off by the disappearance of Kuroko. "Shit!" he yelled out as he barely dodged a bullet.

Back up soon came, and little by little, Anti-Skill began to penetrate the school. They came across mangled bodies of young children, teachers, faculty, etc. The smell of blood was so overwhelming that it took all of Jiro's will to not vomit. As they continued their battle into the school, they heard an explosion go off from one of the classrooms. The explosion was also packed with more blood curling screams, and an intense amount of crimson liquid followed the debris, along with skewed amounts of body parts.

The sight brought Jiro to his knees as he stared wide eyed at the carnage. Time felt as if it had slowed right there at that moment.

_W-what the…hell…just happened?_

Jiro was brought back to the cruel reality when he heard a scream coming from one of the rooms next to them. This time, the scream came from the teleporter. The gray eyed agent forced himself up and managed to glimpse into the room where the younger girl was. All he saw was Kuroko release all of the metal spikes she held within the backpack and teleported each falling spike into the body of Ito Hiroshi: about ten or fifteen on each limb, about twenty to thirty into his torso, a couple on his neck, one on each eye, and a few on his cheeks. His body was instantly engulfed in his own blood and splattered the wall that he was now pinned to.

Now it was Kuroko who fell to her knees, her face expressing utter horror at the act that she had just committed. She stared at her frantic, trembling hands before she pulled on the back of her hair and hunched over until her forehead met the ground, screaming so loud.

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, File Room_

Arata stopped reading after that, feeling a growing biliousness in the pit of his stomach. He quickly closed the report and laid it on the table and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He didn't even notice the sweat that was starting to form on his forehead. After a few minutes, the feeling started to dissipate and he was able to stand himself up. He took a quick glance at the pictures and reports once again before returning the files into the cases.

"Damn…" he spoke softly, still in disbelief that what he read was indeed real, not just a work of fiction. "This…this Ito Hiroshi really was some sort of demon…"

He slowly walked over to the shelves and deposited the boxes onto their respective spots. He stared at the labels with the devil's name on it for a moment before walking towards the door.

"I just…don't get it…why would someone willingly choose to follow that monster?"

With that, he turned out the lights and shut the door.

* * *

So, how was it? Was it any good? If it wasn't, I will totally get to writing that apology letter…..

But ok, so the elementary school incident was obviously told from Jiro's side, and Kuroko's insight will come around at some point to fill in those gaps. I know…it was a bit bloody/gorey eh? (at least I kinda feel it was), so if that offended anyone in any particular way, I am sorry for that.

So personally I can see Mikoto having this anger at what she feels because she feels like it's wrong (which it's obviously not), but don't worry, that anger is already dissipating. Also, I kinda see that when Kuroko calls Mikoto "Onee-sama", it's kind of like she loses that bit of self-control or feels vulnerable, which is why when she is taken out of that situation (like being interrupted by Kiyoko), she reverts back to calling her Mikoto.

And lets see, Masato not all that upstanding of a guy is he? Lying to Satomi and his other acquired followers and seemingly looking for some personal gain? Hmmm, not so good.

Anyways, enough of my rambling! (well one more rant, it's still totally December 3rd…a lot can happen in a day huh?) Thanks a lot for you guys that lasted through to the end of the chapter! Please review, review, review! I really do love hearing from you guys! Compliments, Criticisms, Suggestions, etc. are all welcome!

See ya next chapter everyone! :)


	8. As Grand As The Grave He Rose From

My sincerest apologies for the delay in our weekly program…I had two exams I had to study for and a paper to write sooooo yeah.

Also, my apologies if the chapter seems short…I don't know if it actually is or not.

Well thanks for those reviews/favorites/follows guys! You are all super duper awesome!

**TPKTheStoicTPK**: dude you have no idea how awesome it was to see that you liked and reviewed this story! You are also like a super awesome writer, so it's an honor to get some feedback from you! Thanks a lot :D and as always, I hope I can keep you on board til the end! Just let me know if you ever have some suggestions!

Well without further ado, here we go! Happy reading guys!

* * *

Chapter 8: As Grand As The Grave He Rose From

_December 3__rd_

_Judgement 174__th__ Branch, 7:20 PM_

_So Mori Akane never checked in for the assembly, _Kuroko thought to herself as she descended the flights of stairs. She was too deep in her thoughts to teleport. _Apparently, Akane-san always reports to the branch right after school, and today in particular she had a lot of paperwork to sort through. But she never showed up…never called…it's as if she just vanished._

Kuroko stopped moving once she reached the bottom of the steps and furrowed her eyebrows. _It's as if she was kidnapped...was Ishihara behind this as well? She kidnapped that other Judgement member yesterday, so it fits her M.O._

The auburn haired girl sighed before continuing to walk out of the building. As soon as she swung open the door, her eyes fell upon Mikoto, who was currently hunched over, holding onto the wall, and panting. The electromaster picked her head up to stare into her kouhai's eyes.

"Dammit, Kuroko…why didn't…you wait for…me?" the older girl asked, somewhat bitterly and clearly out of breath. Kuroko looked off to the side, avoiding Mikoto's burning gaze.

"Look, Mikoto, how many times do I have to say it? You're a—"

"Couldn't…you make…an exception? Right now…it's dangerous for you to be out here. With your reputation…you don't need an armband to tell someone…you're from Judgement."

"I know it's dangerous," Kuroko began, now returning Mikoto's stare. "But I can't just sit at home while my colleagues are being taken and..."

The younger girl trailed off and thought to herself, _No…I shouldn't bring up the murder. That'll only put her more on edge._

"It's just…I was worried," the auburn haired girl added.

"And you didn't think I'd be worried about _you_?" the electromaster muttered in a low voice, finally catching her breath. "I mean, what the hell were you thinking?"

Kuroko was taken aback by the older girl's somber tone of voice. Her eyes softened as she began, "Mikoto, I—"

"C'mon, we just heard that a Judgement member was missing…I didn't want you to be the next one," Mikoto said as she now stood up properly, only inches away from her kouhai.

"It's just—"

Mikoto reached out and grasped Kuroko's small, delicate hand. Her cheeks began to redden as she looked away slightly.

"You just begged me not to leave you…so don't you go leaving me either…"

The younger girl's heart began to beat rapidly before she was pulled into the electromaster's embrace. Kuroko absentmindedly returned the other girl's hug, ignoring the slight sweat that accumulated on her hoodie. Mikoto rested her head upon her kouhai's and took in her wonderful perfume.

"Look, I don't really know what's going on here. I don't know much about the case or about this other teleporter, or Ito Hiroshi…" Mikoto trailed off as she felt Kuroko's grip tighten at the mention of Ito. The electromaster slightly smiled into her hair and continued, "…but regardless, I'm going to be by your side the whole time."

With that statement, Kuroko relaxed and let a grin grace her lips. She nuzzled the older girl's shoulder and giggled lightly, "But you're a civilian."

"And if you tell me that _one_ more time, I _will_ electrocute you, and we will _never_ be this close to each other again."

The younger girl picked her head up, placed her arms on both the electromaster's shoulders, and entwined her fingers in Mikoto's hair. "So you're implying that we can be this close right now?"

The older girl's cheeks heated up as she swallowed her spit. "Well, uh, I mean…uh…I guess…?" she rambled as she stared off to the side.

Kuroko smiled innocently as her beloved stumbled over her words. _Never in a million years would I have guessed Onee-sama would feel this way about me…I just wish she would have had better timing. With all of this stuff going on, this is like the worst possible time for…well...being together. We're just so much in the dark with who is actually behind these recent attacks. I mean, I know it has to be…Ito's followers…but he had so many. It's hard to narrow it down. We only know of Ishihara. We have no idea about the others._

"Oh yeah, so did Akane-san check in for the assembly?"

Kuroko detached herself from the older girl as she was broken from her thoughts. She lowered her eyes and shook her head. "No, she never even checked in at the branch. We already informed Anti-Skill of the disappearance."

"Should we look around for her?"

"And where would we plan to look, Mikoto? We don't know her, and this is a big city. We'd only be walking around aimlessly. It's best we leave it to Anti-Skill. They have more resources than you and I do," the younger girl said as she crossed her arms and sighed. "It's just going to be hard to tell Harada-san that her friend truly is missing. I don't know if that's gonna make her feel better or worse."

The electromaster planted her hand on her kouhai's shoulder and smiled warmly. "We'll tell her together," she said before looking at the darkening sky. "But we should head home, don't you think? I still have that movie we could watch."

Kuroko cocked her eyebrow and laughed slightly. "Head home?"

"Uh—I mean, you're apartment," Mikoto corrected herself as she scratched the back of her head, red from embarrassment. "Do you think you could teleport us back? My legs are kind of tired…"

The younger girl gently grabbed the electromaster's hand and shyly looked up at her. "Did you really run all the way over here just to catch up to me?"

"Well yeah, I was worried about you, Kuroko…"

Kuroko switched her attention to the ground and smiled before squeezing Mikoto's hand. _I really do love you, Onee-sama._

With that, she teleported them both away.

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, Jiro and Arata's Office, 8:00 PM_

There was something that was plaguing the rookie officer's mind.

_Why the hell would people want to follow Ito Hiroshi, this demon that preyed on the innocent?_

Arata had been searching the internet for information on the cult for the past half hour, but was coming up with nothing. Not one article or site could describe the inner workings of Ito's cult.

_I mean, what was this cult even about? I get this whole 'converting children to the light', but what does that really mean? Where did it start? Is it new? Old? Dammit, I can't find anything!_

Finally, something caught his attention. It was an article about the aftermath of the Matsuda incident. There was a picture that showed a group of the followers that had survived, all dressed in handcuffs. One of the criminals was a woman, looking in her early thirties. She seemed to be the focal point of the picture. She looked content, though a hint of sadness was shone in her eyes. After staring at the picture for a couple of minutes, he thought of an idea.

_Hm, what if I ask one of his followers personally? It might be hard to get approval for that, but if I can get Ikeda-san on my side, I'm sure he can influence the higher ups. The more we learn about this cult, I believe we can find a break in the case. Not to mention we could find out more about the people we're after. Well…I guess that's all assuming they'll talk to us about it…_

Arata sighed and ruffled his hair as he logged in to the Anti-Skill database. He went through some extra reports and pictures they had regarding Ito, but there wasn't much else there that he hadn't found out about already. Well, except for another picture. It was before the violence started at Matsuda. The person he was looking at in the picture wasn't the focal point, but off to the side, like she was accidently caught in the shot. She had medium length black hair, light skin, and bright blue eyes.

_Wait…she looks older than that picture…but that definitely has to be Ishihara Satomi,_ Arata deduced before coming across something else about the picture. Satomi looked genuinely happy, smiling and presumably talking to someone, though their face was cut out of the picture.

_Just who does she seem to be talking to?_

* * *

_In the streets of Academy City, 8:20 PM_

"Taichi, we shouldn't be out so late…" said a girl about fifteen years old. She had light brown hair, which was pulled into a ponytail, and brown eyes. She was the level one in the group of bickering Judgement members at the meeting. "Remember what we heard at the assembly? It's too dangerous to be out here this late in the evening."

"Don't worry, Aika, you can count on me to take care of you," Taichi replied with a confident smile. The teenager had black hair, which was covered by a white beanie, and green eyes. He was the telekineticist that was giving attitude to Kuroko when she disciplined his group. He moved his hands to the back of his head and added, "Plus, if I can recall, you were the one that insisted on watching that animated movie…"

"You didn't seem to object, you know," Aika pouted, crossing her arms. As they passed by an alley, they heard a female voice speak to them.

"Yamada Taichi."

Taichi narrowed his eyes, any sense of his carefree nature disappearing in an instant. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to identify the source of the voice. His eyes came across Satomi, dressed in her typical attire, and even sporting a new hood that draped over her head. The air around them immediately became tense, and everything grew silent. The telekineticist surveyed his surroundings for objects he could use for an attack. Aika gripped onto the back of the boy's shirt when she heard the hooded girl giggle.

"Say, you don't believe in God, do you Yamada-san?" Satomi asked in a light-hearted tone.

"I can't say I do," he replied as he caught sight of one of the patrol robots. _There's something that I could use…_

"You're missing out you know. If you did, maybe you could've made it to paradise after I kill you."

Taichi's eyes quickly locked onto Aika's. "Aika, get out of here!" he yelled as he moved the patrol robot with his telekinesis, attempting to smash it against Satomi. Once the robot collided with the wall, sparks flew as it scraped against the concrete. He stared at the spot and widened his eyes when he saw the girl was nowhere to be found. In a split second, he felt a kick to the side of his face. He blacked out for a moment before regaining his balance and turning around quickly, barely dodging another attack from the girl.

"So, you're a teleporter huh?" Taichi said, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He moved his eyes side to side before coming across a stray brick. Before he could move the object, Satomi appeared directly in front of him and kicked his stomach. Saliva escaped from his parting lips.

Taichi hastily reacquired his composure and managed to land his fist right on the tip of Satomi's nose. She instantly cried out and clutched onto her nose as she reached for her new dagger and aimed to teleport it into the boy's heart. Though, instead of the blade piercing his chest, he felt a burning sensation grazing near his ribs before hearing the weapon hit the floor.

_Shit!_ Satomi yelled at herself, widening her eyes at how she had once again missed her intended target. The telekineticist took this moment to grab the brick and send it flying towards the teleporter's head.

_Alright, now's my chance! _Taichi quickly ran away from the alley and once again stood near the street as Satomi fell to her knees due to the excruciating pain that seared through her entire body, blood dripping from her forehead. Once he reached the sidewalk, the boy locked his sights onto a small parked car. He smirked as he took in his new opportunity. He mustered up all of his energy and slowly began to lift the car off of the ground. _This thing is a compact car, so it should be able to fit in this alley._

When Satomi turned her head, she was drowned out by the shadow of the car. She tried to teleport to safety, but she couldn't concentrate. So instead, she knelt right there, frozen. Taichi looked at her with a slightly apologetic look.

"Sorry, but in all fairness, you just tried to kill me."

With that, Taichi shot the car at the immobile teleporter. It felt like an eternity as Satomi awaited the car to crush her. The shadow of the vehicle grew rapidly, blocking out any inch of light that could have graced her body. At that instant, she almost felt relief. Almost felt free. Almost felt happy.

_I guess I'll being joining you…and Ito-sama._

The car soon collided with something, causing a loud crash that resonated throughout the alley. Some broken glass fell onto the floor, decorating the concrete beneath it.

But it didn't smash the blue eyed girl. Death hadn't seemed to claim her just yet. She saw from behind hazy sights a figure standing in front of her. She was only able to make out a gray suit jacket and red hair. It could also be seen that this savior had stopped the car with his bare hands.

"…R-Ryosuke…?" Satomi muttered under her breath, her eyes nearly shaking from disbelief.

Taichi gasped and widened his eyes at what had just happened. "W-what the hell?"

The newcomer just smirked and threw the car back at the teenager. The boy barely dodged the oncoming attack by sending the car towards the middle of the street, fortunately not hurting any innocents in the process. Though it did catch the attention of the bystanders, who instantly took out their phones and contacted Anti-Skill. When he stared back into the alley, he saw a young, slender man, with red hair and violet eyes.

"You seem surprised," Ryosuke stated, staring at Taichi.

"What the hell…did you do?"

"Gravity Shift…I can basically turn anything I touch into a weightless object."

Taichi just stood there, unsure of what his next move should be.

"What's wrong, kid? Why don't you try shooting something else at me?"

The teenager narrowed his eyes and sent a nearby ladder in the violet eyed opponent's direction. Ryosuke quickly grabbed hold of Satomi's shirt and pulled her and himself out of harm's way. This action and the increasing volume of Anti-Skill sirens brought Satomi out of her frozen state. She quickly regained her composure and grabbed onto her savior's arm before teleporting them both to safety.

Taichi just stared wide eyed at the now empty alleyway as Anti-Skill agents scattered onto the sidewalk.

* * *

Once Satomi felt they were far enough from the upcoming crime scene, she stopped teleporting and stared at Ryosuke. She nearly began to tremble as she took in his appearance. A tear began to form in the corner of her eye. His haunting image scared her. Yeah, she was petrified. A ghost was seemingly in front of her.

"I-I…thought…no…you were…you're dead, Ryosuke! You died three months ago at Matsuda! What the hell…what are you doing here?" Satomi motioned a familiar move, cupping her ears and digging her nails into the skin behind them. Ryosuke placed his hands on the teleporter's shoulders.

"Well, it looks like I'm as alive as you are…I haven't been stuck in a grave just yet."

"But…but Masato-kun said…"

"I know what he said. Don't worry, there was a reason for this I promise," he assured her with a subtle smile. He moved his hands to her hood and pulled it down in order to see her face clearly. But what he discovered shocked him. "S-Satomi, what happened to your eye?"

She managed to flash him a smile. "I thought if I sacrificed something, I could bring Ito-sama back from the dead."

"No…y-you didn't…"

She then let a few tears stain her cheek as she wrapped her arms around the boy. "I was also hoping that it could bring you back to life too."

A guilty expression decorated Ryosuke's face as he returned Satomi's hug. "I'm sorry…Satomi…"

* * *

_Kuroko's Apartment, 10:05 PM_

Mikoto's eyes opened in time to see the credits roll on the television screen. She looked to her side to see Kuroko resting her head on her shoulder, apparently asleep and breathing ever so lightly. They had apparently slept through a good portion of the movie. The older girl also noticed their fingers were intertwined with each other's. Kuroko insisted that the electromaster stay true to her word and hold her hand throughout the movie, and Mikoto didn't object to the idea. She was actually becoming quite comfortable with the warmth from her kouhai's small, delicate hands.

_You truly fill me up with warmth and light, Kuroko. This cold, dark abyss I've been stuck in the past few months…no past year…maybe two years…I don't even know any more….well in just two days, you've nearly stopped me from digging my own grave. I only hope that I can stop you from digging yours. I know this case is really hitting close to home with you. I know something bad must have happened with this Ito Hiroshi. I still don't know all the details. But please, why can't you talk to me about that? I promised that I'll stay by your side the entire time. I've lost you before…I won't lose you again. I'll follow you to the depths of hell if that's where this case ends up leading you. _

The electromaster pulled herself out of her thoughts for a moment when she looked at the time. "Man, it's getting late…"

"You don't have to leave," the younger girl stated. Mikoto cocked her eyebrow at the teleporter.

"Since when did you wake up?"

"Since about twenty minutes ago," she replied with a smile plastered on her face.

"Geez, I haven't even been up for that long. Why didn't you get up then?"

The auburn haired girl gripped tighter onto her beloved's hand. "It just felt so nice staying like this that I didn't want to ruin it."

Mikoto smiled inwardly at that comment before speaking again, "Are you sure I can stay over again? I wouldn't want to impose or anything."

"Do you really think you'd ever be imposing?" Kuroko asked as she stared at Mikoto. "Honestly, Mikoto. Plus, I know you must have been planning on staying, seeing as you packed up a few outfits in that backpack of yours."

The electromaster immediately blushed as she turned away. "Well, uh-I didn't think you were gonna notice that…"

"You weren't necessarily hiding it…" the younger girl said before letting out a yawn. "Well, I think I'm gonna get to bed. And you should too. We should plan getting to the branch office early."

"We?"

"Well I figured you'd be wanting to come with me after everything we talked about today…oh I'm sorry, unless you have class. I understand that school comes first."

"Oh! Uh, yeah, heh, class…" the older girl replied awkwardly, lightly scratching her cheek. "It's cool, uh my professors actually cancelled classes for tomorrow…yeah."

A dumbfounded look occupied Kuroko's face at the electromaster's words, but shrugged it off. "So, do you want to sleep in the bed? I promise it's a lot comfier than the couch."

Mikoto's heart raced at the suggestion for some reason. _Why the hell did I get all nervous about that offer? It's not like we'd be doing anything else…I mean…what the hell do I mean? Of course that's not what she's talking about! _

"It's ok, I love sleeping on couches!" Mikoto nearly shouted, forcing out a laugh.

"Wow, really? No one _loves_ sleeping on couches. But if you insist on sleeping on it, be my guest," Kuroko said as she reluctantly rose from her spot next to the older girl. Mikoto also got up and walked over to her bag in order to take out her athletic shorts to change into. The younger girl began to walk towards her room before stopping and turning around. "You really mean a lot to me, Mikoto…I hope you realize that."

At that comment, the electromaster stopped shuffling through her backpack and walked towards her kouhai. The teleporter just looked at her strangely when she didn't do anything right away. A blush began to burn Mikoto's cheeks as she flashed a smile. "You really mean a lot to me to, Kuroko…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what?"

Mikoto swallowed her own spit as she cupped Kuroko's face.

"Miko—"

She was cut off by the older girl's soft kiss. After a few seconds, Mikoto shyly pulled away. She touched her forehead to the younger girl's and smiled again.

"I'm sorry that I took so long."

* * *

Alright, so once again, sorry for the delay….i hate college…..lol

But yeah, sorry if you weren't a big fan of this chapter. I kinda sorta wrote this in like a day and a half (a very broken day and a half….)

So we found out who that red head was that killed Akane (Kiyoko's/Harada's roommate), huh? Well kind of found out. We now know he really is one of Ito's followers…but apparently "died" three months prior to this….and we also see a connection shared between him and Satomi…so alright…

I thought it was fun to add the part where she says she loves couches...because my oldest brother actually does love sleeping on couches...like he doesn't even have a bed in his room...just a couch...

Anyways, I hope I did something right with this chapter. And if I did, please review! Even if I didn't, please review! Give me some kind of feedback :)

Anyways…yeah I'm tired….i've been writing for the past like five hours…it's already six am over here...i'm gonna go to sleep now….that being said, I'm not really taking a second look to check on errors, so if you find some, just point it out in the review and I'll definitely update it with the corrections, thanks…..

(ok, so just updated a few grammar errors...)

See ya next chapter guys!


	9. Shadows That Follow

Alright guys, it's about that time!

As always thanks for those reviews/favorites/followers! Keep em coming! (well I guess if the story deserves it lol)

**xxBakaAkki**: haha it's cool, as long as you enjoy the story I'm happy :D (that being said, I always appreciate your awesome reviews, regardless of them being for praise, criticism, suggestions, etc lol) and don't worry, there will definitely be some _intimacy_ between the two later on (obviously they are going to sleep together eventually ha) it's just, I know Mikoto wouldn't jump right into something like that (though Kuroko might). But yeah so don't worry, and hopefully I can keep you liking the story until then! Thanks!

So we've reached a milestone in our program here…..we have finally reached December 4th! Yay! (hopefully it doesn't always take that long for each day…..)

Anyways, happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 9: Shadows That Follow

_December 4__th_

_Some discreet building somewhere…1:30 AM_

A knock resonated through the familiar bland, poorly lit room. The source didn't wait for a response and slowly opened the door, revealing Ryosuke. He noticed Masato in his typical spot behind the desk, still shrouded by the light's shadow. He narrowed his eyes and entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Masato…" he said, venomously. Masato instantly clenched his fists upon hearing Ryosuke's voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Satomi doesn't fight out in the open like that," Ryosuke stated, ignoring his question.

"You better tell me you watched that fight from afar…"

"It stared out that way, but I couldn't keep my distance…she obviously isn't at her best, Masato…" he replied, gritting his teeth and his anger growing. "You bastard, why the hell would you send her out to fight in her condition?!"

Masato abruptly rose from his seat, his chair crashing onto the floor. "You got involved, did you? You fucking showed your face?" he began as he ambled towards Ryosuke. He continued to walk until the light was about to reveal his face.

"I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

At that, Masato took another step forward, out of his comfortable darkness, and grabbed onto Ryosuke's shirt. The light illuminated his brown hair, and he shared the same violet eyes as the red haired teenager. Though his face looked to be about twenty four, he held a striking resemblance to the younger boy.

"What the _fuck_ are you trying to pull, Ryosuke? I told _her_ to not be discreet, not _you_!"

Ryosuke shoved Masato off of him. "So that's why she fought so carelessly in the open, huh? Well what else was I supposed to do? If I hadn't gotten involved, Satomi would be dead right now!"

"Then so it should have been! This plan is more important than that damn brat!" Masato stopped shouting for a moment to take a deep breath. "Don't forget our priorities."

"I won't, but I'm starting to think that some of our priorities are scaled differently," Ryosuke began as he made his way to the couch. "I'm also thinking that this plan you had for Satomi was fucking ridiculous. Well I guess the plan you had for all of the followers."

"And what would you suppose gives you the right to tell me that?" Masato said as he also retreated back to his original spot, in the safety of the darkness.

"The fact that I'm your brother, and that I have a better plan than yours."

"And what would it be, exactly?" the older brother scoffed. Ryosuke just smirked and hunched over.

"Let's just say I met some interesting people while I was 'dead'."

* * *

_Kuroko's Apartment, 4:15 AM_

_In this gray space, I see a shadow forming. A human form I know all too well. A person whose name by now I don't even have to mention. Once the shadow takes its shape, it walks closer to me. I try to run, but I'm paralyzed. All I can do is stare at this approaching demon. Every footstep echoes through my head. As he grows closer, I feel sweat starting to pour down my face…no wait…that's not just sweat. It looks like my blood._

_When l focused back on the shadow, it was already directly in front of me. As I gaze into the impenetrable blackness, I see the faces of children. Bloody. Mangled. Mutilated. And not just the children from the incident three months ago, but every child murdered since the investigation of Ito Hiroshi started. Every child he brainwashed and killed. Every child I couldn't save._

Kuroko jolted from her non-too-pleasant spot on the pillow. Once again breathing heavily with beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. She ran her hands through her hair and lifted the sheets off of herself. The teleporter stared at her dark surroundings before sighing and rising from the bed. She made sure to open her door slowly to not wake up her beloved in the next room. As she walked out of her bedroom, she gazed at Mikoto, who currently resided on the couch. The older girl was resting on her stomach, her arm hung loosely off the side, and headphones dangled from her ears.

The auburn haired girl smiled lightly before stumbling into the bathroom. She soon reached the mirror, staring at her reflection, and gripping onto the sink. Dark bags claimed the girl's eyes.

_These nightmares are getting more vivid…_

Kuroko turned on the facet and felt soothed by the sound of the running water. She cupped some of the water in her hand and splashed it on her face.

_Dammit, you got to get a hold of yourself, Kuroko…you can't let this demon possess you._ _You can't be weak…you have to be strong. If you lose yourself, you'll only make Onee-sama worried._

She sunk her head lower towards the basin of the sink in order to avoid her own glare. The teleporter remained like that for a couple of minutes before letting a small smile grace her lips.

_Onee-sama…this truly is a new experience for you huh? Well I have to admit, I'm a little nervous myself. As much as I threw myself at you…I guess that might be surprising. But I never knew what I would do in that situation. I never really knew how to react if you actually shared those same feelings…As it is, we've kissed twice, and you initiated both of them._

Kuroko brought a hand to her lips and lightly touched them.

_Heh, I never thought I'd be saying that._

After that thought, she grabbed a small towel and wiped the water off of her face. The teleporter threw the towel on the sink and retreated out of the room. Instead of returning to her bed, she ambled towards Mikoto and sat on the floor in front of the couch. The younger girl lightly touched the electromaster's arm to see if it would wake her up. When she noticed that the action didn't wake her, she laid her head on the cushion, near Mikoto's head, and hugged the older girl's arm. Soon, Kuroko drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_6:00 AM_

Mikoto opened her eyes, only for them to fall upon the auburn hair of her kouhai.

"…Kuroko?" the electromaster questioned, groggily, as she pulled out her headphones. She started to sit up when she noticed her arm was being lightly held by the younger girl. The older girl moved the stray strands of hair out of Kuroko's face. The motion caused the teleporter to twitch before slowly opening her eyes.

"What are you doing over here? You're gonna hurt yourself sleeping like that…"

Kuroko smiled and embraced Mikoto's arm a little tighter. "I don't mind being a little sore in the morning if it means I get to wake up next to you…"

The electromaster's cheeks reddened before she looked away and sighed. "You're an idiot…"

The auburn haired girl let go of her beloved's arm and cocked her eyebrow as she watched the older girl throw off the cushions that were placed behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"Come on," Mikoto said as she backed up and left a space for Kuroko to lay down. She then turned to lay on her back and folded her arms behind her head. "It's dangerous out there, remember? You gotta make sure you'll be at your best at all times."

With that, Kuroko crawled onto the couch, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure what made her so nervous. They had slept next to each other a few times before, usually by force on the younger girl's part. They even did this the day before. But still, for whatever reason, she was flustered. She soon found a comfortable spot and waited a moment before cautiously wrapping one arm around Mikoto's waist. She felt the older girl tense slightly.

"Is this…ok?"

"Y-yeah, it's fine," the electromaster replied, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach. _O-ok, so what should I do?_ She thought to herself as she felt Kuroko tighten her grip and lay her head near her neck. Mikoto took a deep breath and placed a hand on her kouhai's back and the other hand upon hers. _Hmm, maybe like this?_

"Mikoto?" she heard Kuroko whisper, her hot breath grazing the electromaster's skin.

"…yeah?"

Mikoto felt a single tear touch her neck. "You…you have no idea how long I've waited for this…" the younger girl said in a small, soft voice. At hearing those words, the electromaster lowered her eyes, suddenly on the brink of guilt for always waving off her kouhai's feelings all these years.

"Onee-sama…" Kuroko trailed off as she began to once again drift to sleep. "…I love you."

The older girl didn't know how to respond. When she tried to say something, anything, no sound came out of her mouth. Fortunately, the teleporter had already fallen asleep.

_Love…what is love exactly? Touma and I used to say 'I love you' to each other but…but there was always a certain emptiness to it. I think we said it because we had been together for so long. Because that is what you said to your boyfriend or girlfriend. But when Kuroko says it…it really sounds like she's saying it from the bottom of her heart. So what do I love? What is it that I feel for you, Kuroko?_

* * *

_Judgement 152__nd__ Branch, 8:00 AM_

Upon arriving at the 152nd Branch of Judgment, Jiro knocked on the door politely before entering the office, Arata following suit. Once they walked in, the senior officer located the Chief of the branch.

"Excuse me, we're here to speak with Yamada Taichi-san and Sasaki Aika-san," Jiro stated, flashing his Anti-Skill badge. Hearing their names being called, Taichi and Aika lifted their heads from their respective desks.

"We already spoke to authorities last night about the incident," Taichi commented, a scowl apparent on his face. Jiro walked up to Taichi's desk and stared at him firmly.

"But you haven't spoken with me. I am Ikeda Jiro, the lead detective of this case. And this is my partner, Saito Arata. Now, could you two please come with us?"

* * *

"Look, we don't really know anything besides what we just told you," Taichi said, crossing his arms. Aika simply nodded, standing close to the boy. The four of them stood in the empty hallway as they discussed last night's fight.

"Hm…" Arata trailed off, deep in thought before continuing. "Have you ever seen these two assailants before? Like anywhere at any time in the city? Being in Judgement, I'm sure you'd come across a ton of different people."

"Well, we couldn't really make out the girl's face because she was wearing a hood," Aika spoke up.

"What about the other attacker?" Jiro asked.

"Nope, I've never seen him before," Taichi started. "He did reveal his ability though. He called it Gravity Shift."

"Gravity Shift? I've never heard that ability name before," Arata said.

"Neither had we. So Aika and I did some digging in the database for anyone with this ability name, but nobody had it. There were espers that had the power to turn anything they touch into weightless objects, but they weren't categorized under that name."

"Alright well, we thank you for your time, Yamada-san, Sasaki-san," Jiro concluded as both he and his partner bowed to the two teenagers. Taichi and Aika reciprocated the action before retreating to their Branch office.

* * *

_Anti-Skill Branch, Jiro and Arata's Office_

"So we have a teleporter who flew off the radar six years ago after her family was murdered, and a guy who makes up his own ability names that I don't believe is even from Academy City," Arata groaned as he took a seat behind his desk. He let his head fall onto the wood with a thump.

"What makes you think he's a foreigner?" Jiro inquired as he also went to his desk and sipped on his coffee.

"Well, he's most likely one of Ito's followers."

"And? What would that imply?"

"Besides the students and teachers who infiltrated Matsuda, most of the others that were involved were foreigners," Arata said as he picked up his head and started adamantly at Jiro. "That's what it said in the reports, didn't it?"

Jiro narrowed his eyes at his rookie's observations. "Did you go through the case files? Those were off limits, you idiot!"

"Well they weren't so well protected," Arata rebutted. "No one would tell me anything about that incident, or about the entire investigation as a whole. What the hell was I supposed to do? What we're dealing with now is obviously connected to Ito Hiroshi. It only makes sense that I'd familiarize myself with what we are up against."

His senior officer sighed and placed his coffee on the table. _It's not like we were trying to hide anything from you. It's just…such a horrible memory. A looming shadow of our own incompetence. If we would have caught that terrorist earlier, that tragedy would never have happened. Those innocent people, those children…they would still be alive right now…_

"I have a request, Ikeda-san…"

"Go ahead."

"I would like to speak with one of the prisoners that followed Ito. Someone that was an active member of his cult."

The senior officer clenched his fist and stared at the floor. "Why? Why would you want to talk to a demon's follower?"

"Because we have no idea who this Ito Hiroshi really was. We don't know anything about his cult or his followers. We have no idea who we are trying to protect our city against. There's more to this group than we know."

"Why do we have to understand this monster and his disciples in order to avenge our city's loss…?"

Arata rose from his seat and walked towards Jiro. He leaned on the wall behind his senior officer and looked up at the ceiling. The gray eyed agent kept silent, obviously in deep thought once again, and trembling with anger…and sadness.

"Ikeda-san…I know I can't begin to imagine the nightmare you went through during those horrifying months. Or the trauma it caused Shirai-san. Or the torment it caused everyone else. Honestly, I wouldn't _want_ to imagine it. But…I think because my heart isn't tangled up directly to Ito Hiroshi and the horrendous acts he committed, I think I can look at this a bit more objectively. I want to know what this cult was about. I want to know why someone would willingly follow that man. By learning that, we could find out how our assailants work. What makes them tick. Why they are the way they are. And that in itself could give us an upper hand."

"Dammit, Arata…" Jiro chimed in as he calmed himself from his previous state. "You're gonna go far really fast, kid."

The dark eyed rookie blushed slightly from the compliment before quickly regaining his composure. "So could you help me make a request to speak to one of the prisoners?"

"We can try. If it were any other clientele, it would be no problem. But the followers of Ito have a higher security on them. It may take some time for them to agree."

"Well once they see that it's relevant to this case, it should hopefully make them open their eyes," Arata scoffed as he returned to his chair.

Jiro leaned back in his seat and lightly hovered his hand over his eyes. Once again, horrifying scenes replayed in his mind: Satomi dressed in her bloody attire, the murders committed by Ito Hiroshi all those months, the carnage at Matsuda, and the current events circulating now. A stray tear managed to trail the agent's cheek.

_Our eyes were never closed. We just slightly cover them. Closing our eyes envelops us in a horrifying darkness, and it forces us to relive terrible memories. Relive our mistakes. Though, we don't have them completely open either. We are still burdened by our pasts. That small blackness that we create by our own hands keeps us from completely enjoying our time left here in this world. It always plagues us. Always remains in our shadows._

* * *

_Judgement 177__th__ Branch, 10:00 AM_

Kuroko had teleported throughout the district with Mikoto until they were a few feet from the Branch office door.

"Man, Konori is gonna be mad at me for getting here past 9:00…why did we have to wake up so late?" the teleporter grunted as she proceeded down the hall, still hand in hand with the electromaster. She glared at the older girl for a moment.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! You were the one that woke up late!"

"Well, why didn't you wake me up? If I can recall, you were still lying down when I opened my eyes!"

Mikoto's face heated up slightly before replying, "Well—! You…you just seemed so relaxed and comfortable! I couldn't—I couldn't wake you up…you really need the rest, Kuroko…"

Kuroko stopped walking when she heard the electromaster's comment. The younger girl blushed as she stared into Mikoto's chestnut eyes. The older girl gave her kouhai a goofy smile and gently squeezed the other girl's small hand. "I'm sorry that I made you late, but…I have to find some way to take care of you since you won't take care of yourself."

The auburn haired girl swallowed her own spit and looked away. "For your information, Mikoto, I _can_ take care of myself."

"Yeah, don't kid yourself."

Just then they heard the door open, revealing Konori with a non-too-pleasant look on her face. Shocked, Mikoto instantly let go of her kouhai's hand.

"Shirai! I knew I heard you out here! I thought I told you to be here at 9? And why didn't you at least call that you were gonna be late?" the Branch chief stopped her interrogation when her eyes fell upon the electromaster. "Ah, Misaka-san? What are you doing here?"

* * *

"Misaka-san!" Uiharu and Saten shouted in unison as they spotted the older girl entering the office.

"Uiharu-san! Saten-san!" Mikoto exclaimed as she rested her eyes on familiar faces. Saten ran up to the brown haired girl and embraced her.

"Man, it's been what, months? Almost a year? Where have you been? I was starting to think that you were gonna be the next urban legend," Saten said with a laugh.

The electromaster scratched the back of her head and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, guys. It's just been really tough with school. You know, college classes and all…"

"Well, we're glad to have you back, Misaka-san," Konori chimed in, a smile dawning on her face. Mikoto looked around at the nostalgic surroundings. She looked between Konori, Uiharu and Saten before gazing at Kuroko, locking with her ruby eyes.

"And I'm really glad to be back," she said, beaming a warm smile in Kuroko's direction. The younger girl was taken aback slightly by Mikoto's genuine happiness, but returned the gesture nonetheless.

"I just wish that we could have had this reunion at a better time. This new group that's been targeting us in Judgement has been keeping us in high alert. And the unfortunate…death of one of our fellow colleagues has put us at an even higher risk…" Konori trailed off.

This information slowly wiped off the smile on Mikoto's face. Kuroko instantly clenched her fist and averted the older girl's gaze. It was silent for a few moments before the electromaster spoke up. "…a Judgement member…was killed?"

"You…didn't know Misaka-san?" Saten inquired hesitantly. The chestnut eyed girl slightly feigned laughter.

"And you did?" Mikoto questioned before gritting her teeth and switching her attention to her kouhai. "…why didn't you tell me, Kuroko? Why the hell did you not tell me that the situation escalated to the point of _murder_?"

Kuroko tried to keep her calm and collected composure as she crossed her arms. "This is a matter of Judgement and Anti-Skill, and you're a…" she trailed off as she remembered Mikoto's warning about mentioning that famous 'c' word.

"A _what_?" the electromaster asked, venomously, knowing full well what Kuroko wanted to say. Though normally the teleporter wouldn't let her feelings come between her and her work, the mere thought of never being close to her beloved again scared her. So she held herself back.

"…I just didn't want you to worry…"

Mikoto was somewhat surprised that Kuroko avoided calling her a civilian, though she still seemed pretty upset. It was a tense silence that lasted a couple of minutes before Uiharu chimed in, "Shirai-san wasn't trying to make you upset, Misaka-san! This really isn't something that we want to openly discuss with other people."

"Yeah, Kazari didn't tell me! I overheard some other Judgement members talking about it on my way over here actually!" Saten added, defending Kuroko's actions.

After hearing her friends' words, Mikoto took a deep breath and stumbled over to the couch, immediately hunching over. Kuroko lowered her eyes and cautiously walked to the couch, taking a seat next to her best friend. The teleporter gripped tightly onto the cushions and spoke softly, "I'm sorry, Mikoto."

At that, Mikoto sighed and ruffled her hair. _Dammit, I can't stay mad at her when she acts like that._

"It's ok, Kuroko. I understand where you were—"

She was cut off by the sound of the telephone ringing. After Konori answered, another phone began to ring. Uiharu then answered that one. Kuroko then narrowed her eyes when a third phone started to ring. She instantly teleported to her desk and answered, "Judgement, 177—"

"There are people armed in here! They are threatening to shoot their weapons!" she heard a shaky voice report.

* * *

_A certain government building, 10:20 AM_

"Now, now, Alpha, remember, I don't care how many people you kill," came Ryosuke's voice, speaking to another figure in the room. "The only person you can't kill is a teleporter named Shirai Kuroko. If you do happen to capture her though…well by all means let us know."

Ryosuke smirked as he turned to leave. _My, this could actually turn out kind of fun._

* * *

Well as I would usually ask at this point….how was it? Hopefully it was alright, I feel like I'm upping the pace….well maybe at least a little?

So, Masato and Ryosuke are brothers huh? Interesting? They seem to have a strained relationship, and their priorities seem to differ. Especially when it comes to their own people, like Satomi. So what's this plan? Apparently something to do with the end of this chapter, right? Well hopefully we can get some good action going for next chapter!

And man do I just love writing those MikoKuro moments….! Sorry if their pace seems a little slow, but remember it's only been like a day or two in the past few chapters lol

Anyways, please please review! I mean of course I love writing, but it's always nice to have a little encouragement and motivation to slave over my computer screen :)

Thanks a lot guys! See ya next chapter!


	10. ALPHA & SIGMA -Stage One-

Hey there everyone! So dang, this is one loaded chapter! (at least I think so)

As always, thanks for those reviews/favorites/follows! It's because of you guys I push myself to make sure I get a good chapter out to you all each week! :)

**xxBakaAkki**: I'm sorry that my story makes you need caffination (though I am completely honored at the same time! Ps, I totally tried to finish before this late but…didn't happen) It's so awesome your liking the story though! And I do have an idea for Misaka 10032, so I might PM you a question (referring to what she's involved in/if it would even make sense, but yeah lol) and don't worry, there will totally be some teasing after this arc wraps up.

**chaosrin:** thanks for the suggestions as always! But unfortunately I don't think I have enough knowledge to add some of that stuff in here…just because I am not familiar enough with that or Sogiita, and I wouldn't want to write someone completely out of character, but thanks! And hopefully you like this next chapter!

**Phantomhive07:** thanks for keeping up with the story so far, and glad you're enjoying the MikoKuro moments! There are definitely some more to come in this chapter in fact, so yeah let me know if ya like it!

ok so I just took care of some of those errors and actually added little bits here and there! and I changed a couple words and whatnot, but if I missed anything, feel free to point it out! Also, as I've stated before, I'm not great with action scenes, so if I made anything sound too choppy or confusing, my sincerest apologies. You can give me some feedback to improve for next time or if it was utterly unbearable to read, then I promise I will update it lol

Well, here we go! (ok sorry, one last thing. Mikoto is wearing her same maroon hoodie and like some brown short shorts. Kuroko is wearing, I don't know, a short gray skirt and a longsleeve shirt? Not sure about the color.) Anyways, happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 10: ALPHA & SIGMA [Stage One]

_December 4__th_

_A certain government building, 10:25 AM_

"You've got to hurry! If you're not here soon, they said they were gonna start shooting—!" a male voice screamed before abruptly closing his phone. After ending his call, the man smirked. "So did that sound believable? Those fools in the 177th branch should be here very soon."

There was no true panic within their surroundings. This man, along with a handful of others, currently resided in a small office within the building. One broad shouldered man was leaning against the large windows that overlooked Academy City. He wore baggy, black pants, and a sleeveless crimson colored, high collared shirt. He had tanned skin, blue eyes, and short white hair. A tattoo of the lowercase letter 'alpha' (α) decorated his shoulder.

Alpha ignored his subordinate's overconfidence and spoke, "Have the others made it to their positions?"

"Yes, and I have instructed them to wait until the doors have been shut and blocked off before they start shooting," another man answered. He had medium length blond hair, brown eyes, and light skin. He wore khaki pants and a long sleeve white shirt. A tattoo of the uppercase letter 'sigma' (∑) could be seen on the side of his neck.

"And are you aware of when we need to shut those doors?"

Sigma just smirked at Alpha's question. "When Shirai Kuroko has _graced_ us with her presence."

* * *

_Judgement 177__th__ Branch, 10:25 AM_

After hearing the line cut off, Kuroko just dropped the phone, not even bothering to place it back on the receiver.

"We have to get over there!" the teleporter shouted, frantically shuffling through one of the drawers in her desk.

"I just contacted Anti-Skill! We will remain on standby and _wait!_" Konori yelled back at her, hanging up the phone. "We are _not_ authorized to handle situations like this, Shirai!"

"What's going on?" Mikoto and Saten questioned in unison.

"The Taniguchi building has been infiltrated by terrorists," Uiharu stated as she rushed over to her computer station and grabbed a headset.

"And," Kuroko began as she finally retrieved her two metal spike covered belts. "If we don't get there now, they said they were gonna start shooting."

Konori narrowed her eyes and stomped over to the auburn haired girl, gripping onto her shoulder. "Shirai…I know by now I can't stop you…but please, let's wait for Anti-Skill."

Mikoto took note of the somber tone in the Chief's voice. _Why does it sound…like she's pleading? Usually Konori would just forbid this rash decision._

Kuroko lowered her eyes as she put on her small headset. Her heart started to beat fast. She almost felt the room spinning. A bilious feeling started to well in the pit of her stomach. _It's just like three months ago. Last time we waited for Anti-Skill…and we were too late..._

"No…I won't let innocent people die because of our tardiness…" the teleporter said, clenching her fist before removing Konori's hand from her shoulder. She fixed the belts into a familiar 'x' around her torso as she spoke again. "Uiharu, check the cameras and keep me posted on what's happening inside the building."

The flower-headed girl nodded and muttered 'right' under her breath. Saten instinctively pulled up a chair next to her best friend, also helping to keep an eye. Kuroko took a deep breath as she started to think quickly about her calculations, trying to figure out the fastest way to the building. Mikoto gritted her teeth and walked up next to her kouhai, grabbing gently onto her hand. The sudden contact caused the younger girl to widen her eyes. She looked upon the electromaster and saw a distant look in her eyes.

"I'm going with you," the older girl said firmly. Though she was reluctant to involve her beloved, she knew that she'd stand a better chance to have a level five on her side. The teleporter then reached for an extra headset and handed it to Mikoto.

* * *

"Uiharu, have you managed to get a hold of the security cameras yet?" Kuroko asked into the ear piece, teleporting hand in hand with Mikoto.

"_Yes I have, but something doesn't seem right here."_

"What do you mean?" Mikoto chimed in.

"_Well…I don't see anybody with guns. No one looks panicked. Nothing seems out of the ordinary…"_

"What? Are you sure we have the right place then?" the teleporter inquired.

"_I'm sure of it. This is where they told me they were being held hostage."_

* * *

_Taniguchi Building, 10:30 AM_

Once they arrived at the building, Kuroko and Mikoto also found the area to be quiet. As the teleporter figured, both her and Mikoto made it to the scene before Anti-Skill, save for a few agents that were already on patrol in this area. She immediately flagged down one of the officers and quickly flashed her armband. "I am Shirai Kuroko of Judgement. Were you already informed on the situation here?"

"Yes we were, but you shouldn't be here kid," he responded, gripping onto his rifle. Kuroko instantly clenched her fists at the agent's comment. "We are waiting for back up to arrive before we make our move."

Annoyed, the auburn haired girl grabbed Mikoto's hand and walked over to the side of the building. The younger girl had an uneasy silence about her, and her face looked distressed, and anxious. When they were far away from the officers, Kuroko spoke. "No, we have to get in there now. We don't have time to wait."

"You're acting a bit brash, don't you think?" Mikoto said, constantly looking side to side, making sure no one was listening in. Kuroko just narrowed her eyes at the electromaster and leaned in closer to her.

"If we take too long, then we'll be too late…so I'm going in, with or without your blessings. If you don't want to follow—" Kuroko was cut off when Mikoto placed her hands behind her head, and pulled her into a kiss. It only lasted a couple of seconds before the electromaster backed out.

"I told you that I was gonna be by your side the whole time, Kuroko."

The younger girl swallowed before regaining her composure and staring into her beloved's chestnut eyes with determination.

"Well, then let's get in there."

* * *

_Taniguchi Building: Main__ Lobby_

Kuroko teleported them both into the corner of the main lobby of the building, trying to be discreet. Just as they had heard from Uiharu, there was no panic, no mass hysteria, no guns, no bad guys. In fact, the building seemed lively. There must have been some event going on that was held for the government workers. Men, women, and children flooded the lobby. Just what was going on? Who had called about the attack?

"Uiharu," Kuroko began, turning back on the earpiece. "Is there any sign of distress on any of the other floors?"

"_No, but I can only get access to a couple of floors. The other cameras seem to have been knocked out."_

* * *

_Taniguchi Building: Security Room_

Sigma smirked as he spotted the Judgement officer on the camera. "She seems to match the description we were given," he stated before snickering. "And it looks like she brought along Railgun. Now we can have some fun."

The blond haired man pushed a few buttons and spoke into a radio:

"Alright boys, it's about that time! Kill everyone but that pink haired teleporter!" He stopped for a moment and turned his smirk into a devilish grin. "And leave Railgun to me."

* * *

_Main Lobby_

The girls felt the ground beneath them tremble slightly as they noticed metal security doors and windows began to cover the glass ones.

"What the hell?" Mikoto questioned, her eyes darting frantically around the rooms, watching every entrance and exit being blocked. Many people shared the same reaction: the men, women, and children alike. Kuroko instinctively fastened on her armband and prepared to begin evacuation before anything really bad happened. But she wasn't aware that she was already too late. Right as the teleporter was about to start shouting, Mikoto noticed rifles being drawn from ordinary looking people.

"Everyone, take cover!" the older girl shouted as she grabbed onto the back of her best friend's shirt before she could run off and pulled her down to the floor behind a decorative pillar. Everyone did their best to follow Mikoto's instructions, but unfortunately not every person was able to dodge the array of bullets.

The room then got really loud really fast. Screams were heard, the sounds of the gunfire were deafening. First blood was instantly drawn, and the bullets dug their way through the walls and pillars. Mikoto carefully stuck her head out from behind the pillar and was immediately horrified by the carnage.

The electromaster shook her head and looked towards her kouhai, who was also peeking her head out and quickly trying to find their best plan of action. Fortunately, the shooters were not spread out. There were about ten total, and they were divided into two groups of five, each one residing on one side of the room: one left and one right. Each group formed a single line, much like a firing squad, and shot somewhat aimlessly at the crowd of people.

"Mikoto," Kuroko started as she decided on a plan and gripped onto the electromaster's shoulder. "I'm gonna teleport you to the end of one of the squads so you can use your Railgun on their weapons. And I'll disable the other groups'."

The older girl nodded in agreement to her kouhai's plan and soon appeared at the end of the firing squad. Mikoto made sure that no one was in her line of fire before shooting her Railgun at the row of guns. The attackers didn't even notice her presence until their rifles were blown away.

On the other side, the group was about to point their weapons at Mikoto, but ceased when they saw metal spikes appear in the barrels of their guns. Before they could drop their firearms, the said objects exploded in their hands. The terrorists were instantly engulfed in cuts and scratches from the small explosion. Kuroko didn't waste any time and teleported the spikes behind the knee of each of the assailants, causing them to fall to the ground.

The electromaster clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she cast out a powerful streak of electricity, violently shocking the entire squad in one blow. They screamed out in pain before falling to the floor, smoke emanating from their bodies. Metal spikes suddenly appeared on their sleeves and pants, pinning them to the ground. The older girl then turned her head to meet her former roommate's eyes.

"You ok, Kuroko?"

"Yeah, and you?"

The brown haired girl just nodded before they both switched their attention to the civilians that were curling up near the exit: pounding on the metal that covered the doors, holding tightly onto their loved ones, applying pressure to their wounds. But unfortunately, not everyone survived the firefight. Thankfully, the majority survived, but that didn't make the few deaths seem any better. It didn't alleviate the growing guilt that was bubbling in the Judgement member's heart.

Kuroko and Mikoto instantly ran up to the group of innocent citizens.

"Alright, everyone please remain calm!" Kuroko shouted, trying to overcome the chaos that was ensuing. "Look, I'm a member of Judgement! I can get you all out of here, so just please settle down!"

Some sparks started to erupt from Mikoto's bangs as she thought of something that could capture the attention of the terrified people, but they ended up calming down before she had to do anything.

"How are you gonna get us out of here?" a worried mother questioned as she held onto her injured daughter. Blood trickled down the young girl's forehead.

The red liquid that seeped from her hair line caused Kuroko's eyes to widen. When she didn't respond, Mikoto tried to speak to her, but her beloved's voice was soon drowned out. Every sound seemed muffled to the auburn haired girl, and she started to tremble uncontrollably. Her vision was soon engulfed by seas of crimson. Familiar deafening screams pierced through her eardrums. Her heart began to race and she instantly felt nauseous.

The teleporter fell to her knees and hunched over until her forehead smashed onto the ground, covering her ears and harshly shutting her eyes.

"Kuroko! What's wrong?!" Mikoto shouted worriedly as she dropped to the ground and cautiously placed her hands on her kouhai's back.

But the action didn't seem to soothe Kuroko. Nothing would. Not now. Seemingly not ever. Nobody could wake her from the never-ending nightmare that seared through her mind, day after day. And the image of this injured young girl plunged her even further into blood splattered blackness.

* * *

_Images of a young, ten year old girl with a beaming smile flashed in Kuroko's mind. She had medium length black hair, green eyes, light skin, and wore a beautiful, short, white dress._

'Dammit, I saved you didn't I?'

_The girl's expression turned into one of horror as she cowered in fear._

'Why the hell did he choose your school?'

_Blood is smeared across the girl's face, and clothes, and that look of utter terror is still dawning her face._

'Why the hell did he focus on _you_?!"

_In that room where she took her last breath. In that room where blood was shed. In that room where she decorated the walls with the scattered remains of her corpse._

'…oh God…I'm so sorry…'

* * *

"…Kuroko, c'mon, snap out of it!"

The sound of Mikoto's voice started to resonate through Kuroko's ears as she hastily opened her eyes, breathing heavily. It felt like a lifetime to the younger girl, but it had only been about a minute since she blacked out. She realized that her head was laying in her beloved's lap and gazed into the electromaster's worried chestnut eyes.

_C'mon, Kuroko, get a hold of yourself,_ the teleporter thought. _You have to stop worrying Onee-sama…we have to get these people out of here, and we need to get to the bottom of this attack. So get up! Do your job!_

After her pep talk, Kuroko clenched her fists and sat up properly. She gave herself the courage to look back at the one who had plummeted her into a grim memory and gritted her teeth before looking up the girl's mom. As if nothing had happened, she spoke and answered her previous question, "I have the ability of teleportation, so I can evacuate you guys two at a time—"

The auburn haired Judgement member was cut off by the sound of an intercom buzzing on. Laughter was the first thing they heard before someone spoke.

"_Wow, this is just way too fun to watch! Action, drama, gore! You guys should have gone into the theatre!" _came Sigma's voice from the metallic sounding speaker._ "And congratulations on clearing stage one!"_

Mikoto grinded her teeth as she abruptly stood up from her spot on the floor, sparks dangerously emitting from her bangs.

"You bastard! Who are you?!"

"_My, my Railgun, using such language in front of children? I'm appalled."_

The comment only made the furious electromaster angrier, causing her familiar electricity accompanied stomp.

"_And as for you, Shirai Kuroko, if you so much as mention teleporting the hostages out again, well…I guess I can just tell you. And you'll be free to notify Anti-Skill. You see, this entire building is laced with explosives."_

The panicked civilians all gasped collectively. Kuroko and Mikoto both narrowed their eyes.

"_So, unless you are confident that you could teleport everyone out of here during the same amount of time it takes me to push a button…" _Sigma's light, demented tone gradually became more serious. _"…I'd suggest you not try anything."_

Kuroko now stood up on her feet and hid her eyes behind her bangs. "What do you want?"

More laughter came from the intercom as Sigma's voice lifted from its previous heaviness. _"Well, it's quite funny that _you_ are the one asking that, Shirai-san, but I can't just flat out tell you what we want."_

"We?" Mikoto inquired.

"_Oh, did that slip out? Oops."_

"What are you talking about?!" Kuroko yelled out, shaking with anger.

"_The first floor isn't the only level with hostages, you know…" _he stated, ignoring her question. _"…but that's all part of the game! It's all about raising the stakes, is it not? And on top of that, I'd like to make a wager with the famous Railgun."_

Kuroko's anger was instantly transferred into worry for the older girl. She instinctively grasped Mikoto's hand, squeezing it tight, with her heart burying itself deeper into her chest. The action didn't distract Mikoto, however. The electromaster just glared at the ceiling with a fire burning behind her chestnut eyes.

"_My, well isn't that cute?"_

"Shut the hell up and just tell me the bet already!" Mikoto shouted frantically.

"_Ok, ok, what is with you guys and shouting? You're making my ears bleed over here…" _He paused for a moment before continuing. _"If you can find me here in the building, humor me with a good fight, and defeat me, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Though I assure you that it won't do much good. We've nearly completed our task, save for…well once again…it'd be no fun if I just tell you."_

The electromaster gritted her teeth as more electricity discharged from her bangs. "I'll take that bet."

"Onee-sama…" Kuroko trailed off as she stared at the older girl. _That determination…that stubbornness…oh how I missed that…but still,_ the teleporter thought to herself.

"_And one more thing on that bet, Railgun. I don't stop until my opponent is swimming in their own blood."_

* * *

_Outside the Taniguchi Building_

Anti-Skill vehicles littered the street, officers were scattered all around the building, and Ikeda Jiro and Saito Arata found themselves in the middle of the chaos. Jiro was assigned to take command of the regiment in front of the building while others took charge of other squads spread throughout the grounds.

"Dammit, do we have any eyes in there?! Any officers?! Cameras?! Anything?!" Jiro shouted, obviously irritated with what little information that had regarding this terrorist attack.

"You should try to stay calm, Ikeda-san, or else you'll make the others in a panic," Arata advised in a low voice.

Something seemed to click in the mind of one of the agents placed under Jiro's command. He quickly walked to the senior officer and spoke, "Excuse me, Ikeda-san. It is possible that we may have some form of eyes in there, but I can't be a hundred percent sure."

"Well, spit it out, agent."

"Before back up arrived, a Judgement member came up to me asking if I'd been briefed on the situation. I told her not to get involved, but she just left after that. I have no idea if she ever made it into the building."

_Aye, you idiot, what are you thinking?_ Jiro thought to himself, knowing full well who that Judgement member was.

"Did she mention her name?" Arata questioned.

"Yeah, she said her name was—"

"—Shirai Kuroko. Am I right?" Jiro finished for him. The officer just sweat dropped and nodded.

"How did you know it was Shirai-san?" the dark eyed rookie asked.

Jiro sighed and narrowed his eyes before answering him. "Because that idiot never knows when to leave things to Anti-Skill."

* * *

_Taniguchi Building, Main Lobby_

"What the hell do you think you're doing Mikoto?" Kuroko nearly shouted after calming down the worried citizens. Mikoto simply glared at her kouhai.

"What, you don't think I can win?"

The teleporter clenched her teeth. "It's not that—"

"Then what?" the older girl snapped. "Do you have a better idea?"

Mikoto stopped when she noticed her best friend's gaze fall. The electromaster just sighed and averted her eyes from the smaller girl in front of her. "…this route seems to be the only one we can take if we hope to get everyone out safely."

Suddenly, she felt Kuroko grip tightly onto the front of her jacket. They were both teleported to the other side of the lobby, in an area that provided them with privacy. Mikoto cocked her eyebrow at the younger girl's actions.

"Kuroko?"

With that, Kuroko brought her hands to Mikoto's cheeks and desperately planted her lips upon her beloved's. The electromaster's cheeks burned a bright shade of red, unprepared for the sudden kiss. The teleporter stayed connected to the other girl's mouth as she pushed her towards the wall. After overcoming her shock, the older girl returned the kiss, entwining her hands with the younger girl's hair.

Kuroko pulled back for a second to breathe and smiled brightly before smashing against Mikoto's lips once again, slipping in her tongue to revel in the electromaster's sweet taste. It lasted for what seemed like never-ending seconds.

Now, Mikoto pulled away and smiled, staring into Kuroko's longing gaze. "Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight."

The younger girl was confused, but was too lost in ecstasy to question why and did as she was told. Feeling exceptionally bold, Mikoto picked Kuroko up and turned around so that she could pin her kouhai against the wall. The auburn haired girl immediately wrapped her legs around the older girl's waist. The electromaster then collided their lips once more. She tried to calm her rapid heartbeat as she decided to explore her former roommate's mouth.

It was Kuroko's turn to blush this time as her eyes widened at the feel of Mikoto's tongue, but soon melted into the kiss. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes as she savored every intimate clash of their lips.

This exchange lasted for a few minutes before they pulled away completely, taking deep breaths.

"Wow…you were…just amazing, Onee-sama…" Kuroko managed to say, completely flustered. The electromaster's faced heated up at the comment.

"Don't…say it…like that!"

* * *

After regaining their composure, they returned to the civilians, who finally seemed to be settled down…well as settle as anyone might be. They caressed their loved ones, others treated their wounds, etc.

"Why don't I go with you, Mikoto? Two against one proves to have better odds," Kuroko said, hoping to sway the electromaster, but to no avail. Mikoto just rested her hand on her kouhai's shoulder and smiled warmly.

"That guy said he wanted to fight _me_, and he seems to be into playing games. I don't know how well he would take cheating. Plus…" Mikoto trailed off as she glanced at the innocent victims in the room. "…you should stay here with them just in case they decide to send anyone else down here."

At that, the electromaster turned and added, "Don't worry, Kuroko…I'll get all of us out of here. Then after that, we're going to have a long talk."

"Mikoto…" Kuroko barely whispered, watching the older girl's back as she walked away. After walking a few feet, the brown haired girl stopped and turned one last time, smiling brightly.

"Just have a little faith ok?"

With that, Mikoto took off running.

* * *

So?! How about it? Getting intense again?...or no? regardless, thanks for following through with the chapter if you lasted all the way til the end!

So we have some new characters, eh? What do you think about them? They ok? Or not? Eh, whatever. I was hoping to write them well. And Sigma seems to like games, and apparently like to gamble. I mean, wagering to fight against Mikoto? I don't know about all that.

We get a quick glimpse into someone that possibly died during the Matsuda incident that Kuroko knew? Who knows?

And uh, that scene towards the end? ;)

Well please review, review, review! If you haven't reviewed yet, you should review now, since the plot is going to start deepening from her on out! Let me know how I'm doing! If I need to improve on a certain aspect or relate to another, I don't know. I trust you guys. Just help me out a little if I seemed to need it lol

Well gonna go to sleep now. See ya next week everybody!


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